Browsing by Author "Cheng, Zhongshan"

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    Genome-wide meta-analysis of problematic alcohol use in 435,563 individuals yields insights into biology and relationships with other traits
    (Nature, 2020-07) Zhou, Hang; Sealock, Julia M.; Sanchez-Roige, Sandra; Clarke, Toni-Kim; Levey, Daniel F.; Cheng, Zhongshan; Li, Boyang; Polimanti, Renato; Kember, Rachel L.; Smith, Rachel Vickers; Thygesen, Johan H.; Morgan, Marsha Y.; Atkinson, Stephen R.; Thursz, Mark R.; Nyegaard, Mette; Mattheisen, Manuel; Børglum, Anders D.; Johnson, Emma C.; Justice, Amy C.; Palmer, Abraham A.; McQuillin, Andrew; Davis, Lea K.; Edenberg, Howard J.; Agrawal, Arpana; Kranzler, Henry R.; Gelernter, Joel; Medical and Molecular Genetics, School of Medicine
    Problematic alcohol use (PAU) is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Although genome-wide association studies have identified PAU risk genes, the genetic architecture of this trait is not fully understood. We conducted a proxy-phenotype meta-analysis of PAU, combining alcohol use disorder and problematic drinking, in 435,563 European-ancestry individuals. We identified 29 independent risk variants, 19 of them novel. PAU was genetically correlated with 138 phenotypes, including substance use and psychiatric traits. Phenome-wide polygenic risk score analysis in an independent biobank sample (BioVU, n = 67,589) confirmed the genetic correlations between PAU and substance use and psychiatric disorders. Genetic heritability of PAU was enriched in brain and in conserved and regulatory genomic regions. Mendelian randomization suggested causal effects on liability to PAU of substance use, psychiatric status, risk-taking behavior and cognitive performance. In summary, this large PAU meta-analysis identified novel risk loci and revealed genetic relationships with numerous other traits.
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    A regulatory variant of CHRM3 is associated with cannabis-induced hallucinations in European Americans
    (Springer Nature, 2019-11-18) Cheng, Zhongshan; Phokaew, Chureerat; Chou, Yi-Ling; Lai, Dongbing; Meyers, Jacquelyn L.; Agrawal, Arpana; Farrer, Lindsay A.; Kranzler, Henry R.; Gelernter, Joel; Medical and Molecular Genetics, School of Medicine
    Cannabis, the most widely used illicit drug, can induce hallucinations. Our understanding of the biology of cannabis-induced hallucinations (Ca-HL) is limited. We used the Semi-Structured Assessment for Drug Dependence and Alcoholism (SSADDA) to identify cannabis-induced hallucinations (Ca-HL) among long-term cannabis users (used cannabis ≥1 year and ≥100 times). A genome-wide association study (GWAS) was conducted by analyzing European Americans (EAs) and African Americans (AAs) in Yale-Penn 1 and 2 cohorts individually, then meta-analyzing the two cohorts within population. In the meta-analysis of Yale-Penn EAs (n = 1917), one genome-wide significant (GWS) signal emerged at the CHRM3 locus, represented by rs115455482 (P = 1.66 × 10-10), rs74722579 (P = 2.81 × 10-9), and rs1938228 (P = 1.57 × 10-8); signals were GWS in Yale-Penn 1 EAs (n = 1092) and nominally significant in Yale-Penn 2 EAs (n = 825). Two SNPs, rs115455482 and rs74722579, were available from the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism data (COGA; 3630 long-term cannabis users). The signals did not replicate, but when meta-analyzing Yale-Penn and COGA EAs, the two SNPs' association signals were increased (meta-P-values 1.32 × 10-10 and 2.60 × 10-9, respectively; n = 4291). There were no significant findings in AAs, but in the AA meta-analysis (n = 3624), nominal significance was seen for rs74722579. The rs115455482*T risk allele was associated with lower CHRM3 expression in the thalamus. CHRM3 was co-expressed with three psychosis risk genes (GABAG2, CHRNA4, and HRH3) in the thalamus and other human brain tissues and mouse GABAergic neurons. This work provides strong evidence for the association of CHRM3 with Ca-HL and provides insight into the potential involvement of thalamus for this trait.