Genome-wide association analyses identify novel Brugada syndrome risk loci and highlight a new mechanism of sodium channel regulation in disease susceptibility

Brugada syndrome (BrS) is a cardiac arrhythmia disorder associated with sudden death in young adults. With the exception of SCN5A, encoding the cardiac sodium channel Na(V)1.5, susceptibility genes remain largely unknown. Here we performed a genome-wide association meta-analysis comprising 2,820 unrelated cases with BrS and 10,001 controls, and identified 21 association signals at 12 loci (10 new). Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-heritability estimates indicate a strong polygenic influence. Polygenic risk score analyses based on the 21 susceptibility variants demonstrate varying cumulative contribution of common risk alleles among different patient subgroups, as well as genetic associations with cardiac electrical traits and disorders in the general population. The predominance of cardiac transcription factor loci indicates that transcriptional regulation is a key feature of BrS pathogenesis. Furthermore, functional studies conducted on MAPRE2, encoding the microtubule plus-end binding protein EB2, point to microtubule-related trafficking effects on Na(V)1.5 expression as a new underlying molecular mechanism. Taken together, these findings broaden our understanding of the genetic architecture of BrS and provide new insights into its molecular underpinnings. Genome-wide association analyses identify new susceptibility loci for Brugada syndrome. Functional studies implicate microtubule-related trafficking effects on sodium channel expression as an underlying molecular mechanism.
European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program [772376-EScORIAL]; Health~Holland; Top Sector Life Sciences Health; Wellcome Trust [076113, 085475, 090355]; Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen-German Research Center for Environmental Health - German Federal Ministry of Education and Research; State of Bavaria; Munich Center of Health Sciences (MC Health), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat, as part of LMUinnovativ; research program Etoiles montantes des Pays de la Loire [REGIOCARD RPH081-U1087-REG-PDL]; ANR JCJC LEARN [R21006NN, RPV21014NNA]; H2020-MSCA-IF-2014 Program of the European Commission [RISTRAD-661617]; Canadian Heart Rhythm Society's George Mines Award; European Society of Cardiology research award; Philippa and Marvin Carsley Cardiology Chair; Fondation Leducq; National Institutes of Health (NIH) NHGRI T32 [1T32HG010464-01]; IRP-VERACITIES-New Mechanisms for VEntricular ARrhythmia And CardIomeTabolic DIseasES an I-SITE NExT health and engineering initiative (Ecole Centrale); IRP-VERACITIES-New Mechanisms for VEntricular ARrhythmia And CardIomeTabolic DIseasES an I-SITE NExT health and engineering initiative (Nantes University); IRP-GAINES-Genetic Architecture IN cardiovascular disEaSes - INSERM; CNRS; Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences fellowship; NHLBI BioData Catalyst Fellows Program; Dutch Heart Foundation [CVON PREDICT2]; Innovational Research Incentives Scheme Vidi grant from the Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development (ZonMw) [91714371]; Robert Lancaster Memorial Fund; Cardiac Risk in the Young; Wetenschappelijk Fonds Willy Gepts VUB-UZ Brussel; VUB IRP project `IMAGica: an Integrative personalized Medical Approach for Genetic diseases, Inherited Cardia Arrhythmias as a model' and Innoviris BRIDGE 2017; project `IGenCare: Integrated Personalised Medical Genomics Care Solution for Patients with Rare Genetic Diseases'; Barts BRC; DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research); BMBF (German Ministry of Education and Research); Danish Heart Foundation; IWT [140935]; ALS Liga Belgie; National Lottery of Belgium; KU Leuven Opening the Future Fund; HYPERGENES [HEALTH-F4-2007]; Leducq Foundation for Cardiovascular Research grant [18CVD05]; Netherlands CardioVascular Research Initiative [CVON PREDICT2]; NIH [HL47678, HL138103, 1RO1HL092577, R01HL128914, K24HL105780]; W.W. Smith Charitable Trust; Wistar Morris Fund; GOA-Antigone [33933]; Senior Clinical Fellowship of the Flemish Science Foundation (FWO); British Heart Foundation; BHF Clinical Research Training Fellowship [FS/11/71/28918]; Cardiac Risk in the Young and Robert Lancaster Memorial fund - McColl's Ltd. Retail Group; European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under acronym ESCAPE-NET [733381]; Dutch Heart Foundation; Fondation Leducq [14CVD01, 17CVD02]; American Heart Association [18SFRN34110082, 18SFRN34250007]; Bayer AG; NIH grant [1R01HL139731]; Federation Francaise de Cardiologie (PREVENT project); Leducq Foundation; Burroughs Wellecome Fund; Fondation pour la Recherche Medicale [DEQ20140329545]; National Agency for Research [ANR-GENSUD-14-CE10-0001]; Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (VICI fellowship) [016.150.610]; [K23HL127704]; [R01 HL149826]; [P50 GM115305]; [NIH-RO1 HL134328]
We are greatly indebted to the patients included in the study. We thank V. Cotard, C. Goutsmedt, M.-F. Le Cunff and N. Bourgeais for assistance in patient recruitment and L. Beekman for his technical support. We thank the biological resource centre for biobanking (CHU Nantes, Nantes Universite, Centre de ressources biologiques (BB0033-00040), F-44000 Nantes, France) for applying the following guidelines68. We are most grateful to the Genomics and Bioinformatics Core Facility of Nantes (GenoBiRD, Biogenouest, IFB) for its technical support. This research has been conducted using the UK Biobank resource; we are grateful to UK Biobank participants. The MINE study (J.H.V.) has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (grant agreement no. 772376-EScORIAL). The collaboration project is cofunded by the PPP Allowance made available by Health~Holland, Top Sector Life Sciences & Health, to stimulate public-private partnerships. This study makes use of data generated by the Wellcome Trust Case-Control Consortium. A full list of the investigators who contributed to the generation of the data is available from www.wtccc.org.uk.Funding for the project was provided by the Wellcome Trust under award 076113, 085475 and 090355. The KORA research platform (KORA, Cooperative Research in the Region of Augsburg) was initiated and financed by the Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen-German Research Center for Environmental Health, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and by the State of Bavaria. Furthermore, KORA research was supported within the Munich Center of Health Sciences (MC Health), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat, as part of LMUinnovativ. J. Barc is supported by the research program Etoiles montantes des Pays de la Loire REGIOCARD RPH081-U1087-REG-PDL, ANR JCJC LEARN (R21006NN, RPV21014NNA) and by the H2020-MSCA-IF-2014 Program of the European Commission (RISTRAD-661617). R.T. is supported by the Canadian Heart Rhythm Society's George Mines Award, the European Society of Cardiology research award, and the Philippa and Marvin Carsley Cardiology Chair. D.Y.C. is supported by Fondation Leducq and National Institutes of Health (NIH) NHGRI T32 (no. 1T32HG010464-01). M. Baudic was supported by IRP-VERACITIES-New Mechanisms for VEntricular ARrhythmia And CardIomeTabolic DIseasES, an I-SITE NExT health and engineering initiative (Ecole Centrale and Nantes University) and by the IRP-GAINES-Genetic Architecture IN cardiovascular disEaSes funded by INSERM and CNRS. R.W. is supported by an Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences fellowship. S.C. is supported by the NHLBI BioData Catalyst Fellows Program. C.A.R. is supported by Fondation Leducq, the Dutch Heart Foundation (CVON PREDICT2) and the Innovational Research Incentives Scheme Vidi grant from the Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development (ZonMw; 91714371). Y.D.W. is supported by the Robert Lancaster Memorial Fund. M.P. is supported by Cardiac Risk in the Young. S.V.D. is supported by Wetenschappelijk Fonds Willy Gepts VUB-UZ Brussel, project `Unravelling the molecular genetic pathways of Brugada Syndrome by cardiomics research', VUB IRP project `IMAGica: an Integrative personalized Medical Approach for Genetic diseases, Inherited Cardia Arrhythmias as a model' and Innoviris BRIDGE 2017, project `IGenCare: Integrated Personalised Medical Genomics Care Solution for Patients with Rare Genetic Diseases'. S.H. is supported by the Barts BRC. B.R.; is supported by the DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research) and by the BMBF (German Ministry of Education and Research). B.G.W. is supported by the Danish Heart Foundation. M.B.S. is supported by K23HL127704. Project MinE Belgium was supported by a grant from IWT (no. 140935), the ALS Liga Belgie, the National Lottery of Belgium and the KU Leuven Opening the Future Fund. D.C. and C.L. are supported by HYPERGENES (HEALTH-F4-2007). D.R. is supported by R01 HL149826, P50 GM115305. P.J.S. acknowledges the support of Leducq Foundation for Cardiovascular Research grant 18CVD05. P.V.D. is supported by the Netherlands CardioVascular Research Initiative (CVON PREDICT2). C.A. is supported by NIH HL47678 and HL138103, W.W. Smith Charitable Trust and Wistar Morris Fund. M.B. is Supported by the DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research) and by the BMBF (German Ministry of Education and Research). P.D.L. is supported by UCL/UCLH Biomedicine NIHR and Barts BRC. B.L. is supported by GOA-Antigone 33933. J.B. is supported by a Senior Clinical Fellowship of the Flemish Science Foundation (FWO). E.B. is supported by the British Heart Foundation including BHF Clinical Research Training Fellowship (FS/11/71/28918: Future diagnostic role and new genetic loci in SADS), Cardiac Risk in the Young and Robert Lancaster Memorial fund sponsored by McColl's Ltd. Retail Group. H.L.T. is supported by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under acronym ESCAPE-NET, registered under grant agreement no. 733381, and the Dutch Heart Foundation (CVON RESCUED and PREDICT2 projects). M.D. is supported by NIH-RO1 HL134328. P.T.E. was supported by the Fondation Leducq (14CVD01), the NIH (1RO1HL092577, R01HL128914, K24HL105780), the American Heart Association (18SFRN34110082) and by a research grant from Bayer AG to the Broad Institute. S.A.L. is supported by NIH grant 1R01HL139731 and American Heart Association 18SFRN34250007. J.-B.G. received a grant from the Federation Francaise de Cardiologie (PREVENT project). A.L.G. is supported by the Fondation Leducq. C.A.M.R. is supported by the Leducq Foundation and Burroughs Wellecome Fund. A.A.W. is supported by the Dutch Heart Foundation (CVON PREDICT2 project). J.-J.S. is supported by the Fondation pour la Recherche Medicale (DEQ20140329545). R.R. and P.G. are supported by the National Agency for Research (ANR-GENSUD-14-CE10-0001). C.R.B. is supported by the Dutch Heart Foundation (CVON PREDICT2 project), the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (VICI fellowship, 016.150.610) and Fondation Leducq (17CVD02).