PreprintCited by 980Schizophrenia research and treatmentGenetic Associations and EpidemiologyGenomics and Rare Diseases

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 80 of the 80 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 31 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.

Exome sequencing identifies rare coding variants in 10 genes which confer substantial risk for schizophrenia

Open access

Preprint — published as 10.1038/s41586-022-04556-w · Paper page

Abstract

By meta-analyzing the whole-exomes of 24,248 cases and 97,322 controls, we implicate ultra-rare coding variants (URVs) in ten genes as conferring substantial risk for schizophrenia (odds ratios 3 - 50, P < 2.14 × 10 -6 ), and 32 genes at a FDR < 5%. These genes have the greatest expression in central nervous system neurons and have diverse molecular functions that include the formation, structure, and function of the synapse. The associations of NMDA receptor subunit GRIN2A and AMPA receptor subunit GRIA3 provide support for the dysfunction of the glutamatergic system as a mechanistic hypothesis in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. We find significant evidence for an overlap of rare variant risk between schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and severe neurodevelopmental disorders (DD/ID), supporting a neurodevelopmental etiology for schizophrenia. We show that protein-truncating variants in GRIN2A, TRIO , and CACNA1G confer risk for schizophrenia whereas specific missense mutations in these genes confer risk for DD/ID. Nevertheless, few of the strongly associated schizophrenia genes appear to confer risk for DD/ID. We demonstrate that genes prioritized from common variant analyses of schizophrenia are enriched in rare variant risk, suggesting that common and rare genetic risk factors at least partially converge on the same underlying pathogenic biological processes. Even after excluding significantly associated genes, schizophrenia cases still carry a substantial excess of URVs, implying that more schizophrenia risk genes await discovery using this approach.

Overview

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Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

Meta-analyzing exomes from 24,248 schizophrenia cases, 97,322 controls, and 3,402 trios identified 10 genes with ultra-rare coding variants at exome-wide significance and 32 genes at FDR < 5%. The results implicate synaptic and glutamatergic biology, show shared rare-variant risk with ASD/DD/ID, and suggest partial convergence with common-variant GWAS signals.

Key findings

  • Ten genes reached exome-wide significance (P < 2.14 × 10⁻⁶), with odds ratios for PTVs and Class I variants ranging from 3 to 50; 22 additional genes were significant at FDR < 5%. The 10 genes were SETD1A, CUL1, XPO7, TRIO, CACNA1G, SP4, GRIA3, GRIN2A, HERC1, and RB1CC1.
  • GRIN2A and GRIA3 support glutamatergic dysfunction: GRIN2A Class I OR = 24.1 (95% CI 5.36–221), Class II OR = 2.37 (95% CI 1.1–4.92); GRIA3 Class I OR = 20.1 (95% CI 4.28–188).
  • Schizophrenia rare-variant risk overlaps with neurodevelopmental disorders: enrichment in DD/ID genes (P = 1.5 × 10⁻¹⁴; ORClass I = 1.44, 95% CI 1.3–1.6) and ASD genes (P = 3.7 × 10⁻⁷; ORClass I = 1.45, 95% CI 1.23–1.72). PTVs in GRIN2A, TRIO, and CACNA1G confer schizophrenia risk, whereas specific missense mutations in these genes confer DD/ID risk.
  • Common and rare variant signals partially converge: genes prioritized by GWAS fine-mapping were enriched for ultra-rare variants (Pmeta = 1.1 × 10⁻³; ORClass I = 1.42, 95% CI 1.17–1.73), and the constrained-gene burden remained after excluding the 32 FDR < 5% genes (OR = 1.23, P = 4.3 × 10⁻²⁷).

Methods

  • Aggregated exome sequence data from 24,248 schizophrenia cases and 50,437 individuals without a known psychiatric diagnosis across 11 global collections, then added 46,885 gnomAD controls for a combined discovery set of 24,248 cases and 97,322 controls; also analyzed de novo mutations from 3,402 parent-proband trios.
  • Samples were jointly reprocessed and variant-called with a standardized BWA-Picard-GATK pipeline; analyses were restricted to coding exons and ultra-rare variants (MAC ≤ 5), including PTVs and damaging missense variants defined by MPC > 3 (Class I) and MPC 2–3 (Class II).
  • Gene-based burden tests used Fisher’s exact test with case-control permutations within strata, meta-analysis by weighted Z-score, and Poisson rate tests for de novo mutations; pathway, tissue, and cell-type enrichments were also tested, and results were jointly analyzed with the largest schizophrenia GWAS.

Limitations

  • The paper states that earlier sequencing studies had limited power for individual gene discovery and that even after excluding the 32 FDR < 5% genes, cases still carry a substantial excess of ultra-rare variants (OR = 1.23, P = 4.3 × 10⁻²⁷), implying that many schizophrenia risk genes remain undiscovered.
  • The paper notes that only summary-level variant counts were available for 46,885 external gnomAD controls, and it used permutation testing and strata to control for possible technical or methodological batch effects.
  • The paper states that confidence intervals for the top gene associations are wide (e.g., GRIN2A Class I 5.36–221; GRIA3 Class I 4.28–188), reflecting imprecise effect estimates from few variant carriers; no formal limitations section is included.

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Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1101/2020.09.18.20192815

Cites

80 of 80 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

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Verification

Claims the paper makes

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Show all 65 claims

  • It may state two separate claims as one. 28
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 14
37 of 37
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Most rare variants will have little or no functional consequence or impact on risk.

    “However, most rare variants will have little or no functional consequence or impact on risk, posing a significant challenge in identifying those that are truly causal and complicating required analyses in which rare variants are tested as a group rather than individually.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Linkage disequilibrium can be readily avoided as a driver of spurious signals because these variants are each seen in very few individuals.

    “As these variants are each seen in very few individuals -and often de novo or very recent -linkage disequilibrium can be readily avoided as a driver of spurious signals meaning that genes frequently can be identified directly.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Causal variants in schizophrenia GWAS are predominantly noncoding.

    “Because causal variants in schizophrenia GWAS are predominantly noncoding, challenges related to fine-mapping and interpretation of intergenic and intronic elements limit our ability to confidently identify underlying genes, infer the mechanism by which they influence disease risk, and determine the direction of effect.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Schizophrenia risk URVs are concentrated in the 3,063 PTV-intolerant (pLI > 0.9) genes.

    “We restrict these analyses to the 3,063 PTV-intolerant (pLI > 0.9) genes in which schizophrenia risk URVs are concentrated.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The NMDA receptor is composed of two GRIN2 units (GRIN2A and/or GRIN2B) along with two constitutive GRIN1 units.

    “the NMDA receptor is composed of two GRIN2 units (GRIN2A and/or GRIN2B) along with two constitutive GRIN1 units”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    GRIN2A increases dramatically in expression later in childhood and adolescence, mimicking the age of onset of disease for schizophrenia.

    “GRIN2A increases dramatically in expression later in childhood and adolescence, mimicking the age of onset of disease for schizophrenia.”
6 of 6

Claims other papers make about this one

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Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.

  • GRIN2A Class II variants use a conflicting MPC cutoff

    Minor

    The GRIN2A result labels Class II as MPC > 2, which includes variants with MPC > 3. Elsewhere, the paper defines Class II specifically as MPC 2-3 and assigns MPC > 3 variants to Class I.

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Metadata

Authors
Singh, T., Neale, B. M., & Daly, M. J.
Affiliations
Broad Institute (US)
Corresponding author
  • Singh, Tarjinder
  • Neale, Benjamin M.
  • Daly, Mark J.
Venue
Nature
Publisher
openRxiv
Published
2020-09-18
Volume
604
Issue
7906
Pages
509-516
ISSN
0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W4223433728
Cited by
980
References
78
Citations by year
2026: 156 · 2025: 214 · 2024: 220 · 2023: 197 · 2022: 138 · 2021: 53 · 2020: 1
FWCI
125.63
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • Nature (publishedVersion)
  • medRxiv (acceptedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Research Portal (King's College London) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • Research at the University of Copenhagen (University of Copenhagen) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • ORCA Online Research @Cardiff (Cardiff University) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • EUR Research Repository (Erasmus University Rotterdam) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
  • eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
  • Työväentutkimus Vuosikirja (submittedVersion)
  • Queen Mary Research Online (Queen Mary University of London) (submittedVersion)
  • STM:n Hallinnonalan avoin julkaisuarkisto (Julkari) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • GlaxoSmithKline
  • Massachusetts General Hospital
  • Biogen
  • Dalio Foundation
  • Broad Institute (U54HG003067)
  • Stanley Family Foundation
  • National Institute for Health and Care Research
  • King's College London
  • Cardiff University (MR/L010305/1, G0800509)
  • Lundbeckfonden (R155-2014-1724, R204-2015-4129, R341-2020-222, R248‐2017‐2003, R24-2008-3243, R364-2021-85)
  • National Institutes of Health (5u01da024417-02, -0001, 5p30ns069329-02, AA 09367, DA 05147, DA024417, HG007022)
  • Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London
  • Canadian Institutes of Health Research
  • Medical Research Council (MR/L010305/1, G0800509)
  • National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (R01AA009367, R37AA009367)
  • National Institute on Aging (R01AG064955, R01AG035083, P50AG005681, P01AG003991)
  • National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (U01HL117626, R01HL117626)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (U01MH109539, R01MH085521, U01MH105641, U01MH105666, U01MH105653, R01MH116037, R01MH085548, R01MH104964, R01MH094145, MH105653, U01MH105578, R01MH124851, R01MH123451, DA05147)
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse (U01-DA024417, R01DA037904, R01DA024417, R01DA005147, R01DA036216, R37DA005147)
  • National Human Genome Research Institute (U54HG003067, R01HG007022)
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (P30-NS069329)
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (P50HD105351)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Schizophrenia research and treatment
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetic Associations and Epidemiology
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genomics and Rare Diseases
Keywords
schizophrenia, risk genes, GRIN2A, GRIA3, NMDA receptor, AMPA receptors, glutamatergic system, synapses, neurodevelopmental disorders, autism spectrum disorder, epilepsy, schizophrenia pathogenesis
MeSH terms
Humans, Mutation, Schizophrenia, Case-Control Studies, Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, Exome, Neurodevelopmental Disorders

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