Cited 167 times since 2022 (85.3 per year) source: EuropePMC Nature genetics, Volume 54, Issue 5, 12 2 2022, Pages 560-572 Multi-ancestry genetic study of type 2 diabetes highlights the power of diverse populations for discovery and translation. Mahajan A, Spracklen CN, Zhang W, Ng MCY, Petty LE, Kitajima H, Yu GZ, Rüeger S, Speidel L, Kim YJ, Horikoshi M, Mercader JM, Taliun D, Moon S, Kwak SH, Robertson NR, Rayner NW, Loh M, Kim BJ, Chiou J, Miguel-Escalada I, Della Briotta Parolo P, Lin K, Bragg F, Preuss MH, Takeuchi F, Nano J, Guo X, Lamri A, Nakatochi M, Scott RA, Lee JJ, Huerta-Chagoya A, Graff M, Chai JF, Parra EJ, Yao J, Bielak LF, Tabara Y, Hai Y, Steinthorsdottir V, Cook JP, Kals M, Grarup N, Schmidt EM, Pan I, Sofer T, Wuttke M, Sarnowski C, Gieger C, Nousome D, Trompet S, Long J, Sun M, Tong L, Chen WM, Ahmad M, Noordam R, Lim VJY, Tam CHT, Joo YY, Chen CH, Raffield LM, Lecoeur C, Prins BP, Nicolas A, Yanek LR, Chen G, Jensen RA, Tajuddin S, Kabagambe EK, An P, Xiang AH, Choi HS, Cade BE, Tan J, Flanagan J, Abaitua F, Adair LS, Adeyemo A, Aguilar-Salinas CA, Akiyama M, Anand SS, Bertoni A, Bian Z, Bork-Jensen J, Brandslund I, Brody JA, Brummett CM, Buchanan TA, Canouil M, Chan JCN, Chang LC, Chee ML, Chen J, Chen SH, Chen YT, Chen Z, Chu

We assembled an ancestrally diverse collection of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in 180,834 affected individuals and 1,159,055 controls (48.9% non-European descent) through the Diabetes Meta-Analysis of Trans-Ethnic association studies (DIAMANTE) Consortium. Multi-ancestry GWAS meta-analysis identified 237 loci attaining stringent genome-wide significance (P < 5 × 10-9), which were delineated to 338 distinct association signals. Fine-mapping of these signals was enhanced by the increased sample size and expanded population diversity of the multi-ancestry meta-analysis, which localized 54.4% of T2D associations to a single variant with >50% posterior probability. This improved fine-mapping enabled systematic assessment of candidate causal genes and molecular mechanisms through which T2D associations are mediated, laying the foundations for functional investigations. Multi-ancestry genetic risk scores enhanced transferability of T2D prediction across diverse populations. Our study provides a step toward more effective clinical translation of T2D GWAS to improve global health for all, irrespective of genetic background.

Nat Genet. 2022 5;54(5):560-572