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Increased levels of the urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) are associated with higher risk of kidney disease progression and cardiovascular events, but underlying mechanisms are incompletely understood. Here, we conduct trans-ethnic (n = 564,257) and European-ancestry specific meta-analyses of genome-wide association studies of UACR, including ancestry- and diabetes-specific analyses, and identify 68 UACR-associated loci. Genetic correlation analyses and risk score associations in an independent electronic medical records database (n = 192,868) reveal connections with proteinuria, hyperlipidemia, gout, and hypertension. Fine-mapping and trans-Omics analyses with gene expression in 47 tissues and plasma protein levels implicate genes potentially operating through differential expression in kidney (including TGFB1, MUC1, PRKCI, and OAF), and allow coupling of UACR associations to altered plasma OAF concentrations. Knockdown of OAF and PRKCI orthologs in Drosophila nephrocytes reduces albumin endocytosis. Silencing fly PRKCI further impairs slit diaphragm formation. These results generate a priority list of genes and pathways for translational research to reduce albuminuria.

Original publication

DOI

10.1038/s41467-019-11576-0

Type

Journal article

Journal

Nature communications

Publication Date

11/09/2019

Volume

10

Addresses

Institute for Community Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany. ateumer@uni-greifswald.de.

Keywords

Animals, Humans, Drosophila melanogaster, Albuminuria, Diabetes Mellitus, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, Creatinine, Risk Factors, Chromosome Mapping, Gene Expression Regulation, Meta-Analysis as Topic, Genome-Wide Association Study, Genetic Loci, Phenomics