Genome-wide association study identifying novel risk variants associated with glycaemic traits in the continental African AWI-Gen cohort
Authors' conclusion
Our findings highlight the importance of performing GWASs for glycaemic traits in under-represented populations, especially continental African populations, to discover novel associated variants and broaden our knowledge of the genetic aetiology of glycaemic traits. The limited replication of well-known signals in this study hints at the possibility of a unique genetic architecture of these traits in African populations.
Study context
- Population
- Participants of the AWI-Gen cohort from Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya and South Africaapproximately
- Participants
- 10,000 participants
- Outcome
- Genetic associations with fasting glucose, fasting insulin, HOMA-IR and HOMA-B
Methodological detailspan-African cohort, linear mixed models (BOLT-LMM), adjusted for age, sex, BMI and principal components
- pan-African cohort
- Linear mixed models (BOLT-LMM)
- Adjusted for age, sex, BMI and principal components
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Genome-wide associations with glycaemic traits
- Novel signal rs574173815 (intron of ANKRD33B) associated with fasting glucose
- Novel signal rs114029796 (intronic region of WDR7) associated with fasting insulin
- Variant rs74806991 (intron of ADAMTS16) associated with HOMA-IR
- Variant rs6506934 (B4GALT6) associated with HOMA-IR
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Replication of known fasting glucose signals
- Several well-established fasting glucose signals replicated in GCK-YTK6, SLC2A2 and THORLNC gene regions
Original publication
Genome-wide association study identifying novel risk variants associated with glycaemic traits in the continental African AWI-Gen cohort. Diabetologia. Published 1 March 2025. doi:10.
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