Cited by 79Genetic Associations and EpidemiologyThyroid Disorders and TreatmentsThyroid Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment

Multi-trait analysis characterizes the genetics of thyroid function and identifies causal associations with clinical implications.

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Sterenborg, Rosalie B. T. M., Steinbrenner, Inga, Li, Yong, Bujnis, Melissa N., Naito, Tatsuhiko, Marouli, Eirini, Galesloot, Tessel E., Babajide, Oladapo +135 more·2024·Nature Communications

Abstract

To date only a fraction of the genetic footprint of thyroid function has been clarified. We report a genome-wide association study meta-analysis of thyroid function in up to 271,040 individuals of European ancestry, including reference range thyrotropin (TSH), free thyroxine (FT4), free and total triiodothyronine (T3), proxies for metabolism (T3/FT4 ratio) as well as dichotomized high and low TSH levels. We revealed 259 independent significant associations for TSH (61% novel), 85 for FT4 (67% novel), and 62 novel signals for the T3 related traits. The loci explained 14.1%, 6.0%, 9.5% and 1.1% of the total variation in TSH, FT4, total T3 and free T3 concentrations, respectively. Genetic correlations indicate that TSH associated loci reflect the thyroid function determined by free T3, whereas the FT4 associations represent the thyroid hormone metabolism. Polygenic risk score and Mendelian randomization analyses showed the effects of genetically determined variation in thyroid function on various clinical outcomes, including cardiovascular risk factors and diseases, autoimmune diseases, and cancer. In conclusion, our results improve the understanding of thyroid hormone physiology and highlight the pleiotropic effects of thyroid function on various diseases.

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Crossref · 10.1038/s41467-024-44701-9

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  1. [2]Maenhaut, C. et al. Ontogeny, anatomy, metabolism and physiology of the thyroid. in Endotext (eds. Feingold, K. R. et al.) (South Dartmouth (MA), 2015). 25905409

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Sterenborg, R. B. T. M., Steinbrenner, I., Li, Y., Bujnis, M. N., Naito, T., Marouli, E., Galesloot, T. E., Babajide, O., Andreasen, L., Astrup, A., Åsvold, B. O., Bandinelli, S., Beekman, M., Beilby, J. P., Bork-Jensen, J., Boutin, T., Brody, J. A., Brown, S. J., Brumpton, B., Campbell, P. J., Cappola, A. R., Ceresini, G., Chaker, L., Chasman, D. I., Concas, M. P., Coutinho de Almeida, R., Cross, S. M., Cucca, F., Deary, I. J., Kjaergaard, A. D., Echouffo Tcheugui, J. B., Ellervik, C., Eriksson, J. G., Ferrucci, L., Freudenberg, J., DiscovEHR, G., Regeneron Genetics Center, Fuchsberger, C., Gieger, C., Giulianini, F., Gögele, M., Graham, S. E., Grarup, N., Gunjača, I., Hansen, T., Harding, B. N., Harris, S. E., Haunsø, S., Hayward, C., Hui, J., Ittermann, T., Jukema, J. W., Kajantie, E., Kanters, J. K., Kårhus, L. L., Kiemeney, L. A. L. M., Kloppenburg, M., Kühnel, B., Lahti, J., Langenberg, C., Lapauw, B., Leese, G., Li, S., Liewald, D. C. M., Linneberg, A., Lominchar, J. V. T., Luan, J., Martin, N. G., Matana, A., Meima, M. E., Meitinger, T., Meulenbelt, I., Mitchell, B. D., Møllehave, L. T., Mora, S., Naitza, S., Nauck, M., Netea-Maier, R. T., Noordam, R., Nursyifa, C., Okada, Y., Onano, S., Papadopoulou, A., Palmer, C. N. A., Pattaro, C., Pedersen, O., Peters, A., Pietzner, M., Polašek, O., Pramstaller, P. P., Psaty, B. M., Punda, A., Ray, D., Redmond, P., Richards, J. B., Ridker, P. M., Russ, T. C., Ryan, K. A., Olesen, M. S., Schultheiss, U. T., Selvin, E., Siddiqui, M. K., Sidore, C., Slagboom, P. E., Sørensen, T. I. A., Soto-Pedre, E., Spector, T. D., Spedicati, B., Srinivasan, S., Starr, J. M., Stott, D. J., Tanaka, T., Torlak, V., Trompet, S., Tuhkanen, J., Uitterlinden, A. G., van den Akker, E. B., van den Eynde, T., van der Klauw, M. M., van Heemst, D., Verroken, C., Visser, W. E., Vojinovic, D., Völzke, H., Waldenberger, M., Walsh, J. P., Wareham, N. J., Weiss, S., Willer, C. J., Wilson, S. G., Wolffenbuttel, B. H. R., Wouters, H. J. C. M., Wright, M. J., Yang, Q., Zemunik, T., Zhou, W., Zhu, G., Zöllner, S., Smit, J. W. A., Peeters, R. P., Köttgen, A., Teumer, A., & Medici, M.
Affiliations
  • Erasmus MC (NL)
  • University of Freiburg (DE)
  • University of Utah (US)
  • RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences (JP)
  • Queen Mary University of London (GB)
  • Radboud University Medical Center (NL)
  • University of Copenhagen (DK)
  • Novo Nordisk Foundation (DK)
  • Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NO)
  • Leiden University Medical Center (NL)
  • The University of Western Australia (AU)
  • Western General Hospital (GB)
  • University of Washington (US)
  • Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital (AU)
  • University of Pennsylvania (US)
  • University of Parma (IT)
  • Harvard University (US)
  • Brigham and Women's Hospital (US)
  • IRCCS Materno Infantile Burlo Garofolo (IT)
  • QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute (AU)
  • University of Sassari (IT)
  • University of Edinburgh (GB)
  • Aarhus University Hospital (DK)
  • University of Helsinki (FI)
  • National Institute on Aging (US)
  • Regeneron (United States) (US)
  • Eurac Research (IT)
  • Copenhagen University Hospital (DK)
  • Universitätsmedizin Greifswald (DE)
  • Frederiksberg Hospital (DK)
  • NHS Tayside (GB)
  • Boston University (US)
  • University of California, San Francisco (US)
  • University of Maryland, Baltimore (US)
  • Institute of Genetic and Biomedical Research (IT)
  • Johns Hopkins University (US)
  • Jewish General Hospital (CA)
  • King's College London (GB)
  • University of Trieste (IT)
  • University of Dundee (GB)
  • Alzheimer Scotland (GB)
  • Ghent University Hospital (BE)
  • University of Cambridge (GB)
  • University of Michigan (US)
  • University Medical Center Groningen (NL)
  • Broad Institute (US)
  • Medical University of Białystok (PL)
Corresponding author
  • Teumer, Alexander
  • Medici, Marco
ORCID
Venue
Nature Communications
Published
2024-01-30
Volume
15
Issue
1
Pages
888-888
ISSN
2041-1723 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W4391352552
Cited by
79
References
107
Citations by year
2026: 16 · 2025: 41 · 2024: 22
FWCI
5.43
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nature Communications (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Ghent University Academic Bibliography (Ghent University) (publishedVersion)
  • Discovery Research Portal (University of Dundee) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Research at the University of Copenhagen (University of Copenhagen) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • EUR Research Repository (Erasmus University Rotterdam) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • University of Groningen research database (University of Groningen / Centre for Information Technology) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • ENLIGHTEN (Jurnal Bimbingan dan Konseling Islam) (acceptedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Leiden Repository (Leiden University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Ghent University Academic Bibliography (Ghent University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • PuSH - Publication Server of Helmholtz Zentrum München (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Queen Mary Research Online (Queen Mary University of London) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Radboud Repository (Radboud University) (submittedVersion)
  • ArTS Archivio della ricerca di Trieste (University of Trieste https://www.units.it/) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • UWA Profiles and Research Repository (UWA) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Open access LMU (Ludwid Maxmilian's Universitat Munchen) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Työväentutkimus Vuosikirja (submittedVersion)
  • UnissResearch (Università degli Studi di Sassari) (submittedVersion)
  • mediaTUM – the media and publications repository of the Technical University Munich (Technical University Munich) (submittedVersion)
  • Edinburgh Research Explorer (University of Edinburgh) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Research Repository (Delft University of Technology) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Open Research (University of Surrey) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
This work was supported by funding from the European and American Thyroid Associations, the Erasmus University Rotterdam, and the Dutch Organization for Scientific Research (NWO).
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetic Associations and Epidemiology
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Thyroid Disorders and Treatments
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Thyroid Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment
Keywords
thyroid function, thyroid-stimulating hormone, free thyroxine, triiodothyronine, thyroid hormone metabolism, genetic association, genetic correlation, polygenic risk score, Mendelian randomization, cardiovascular risk, autoimmune disease, cancer risk, pleiotropy
MeSH terms
Humans, Thyroid Gland, Thyrotropin, Thyroxine, Triiodothyronine, Genome-Wide Association Study

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