Person: McDonald, Merry-Lynn N
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McDonald
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Merry-Lynn N
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McDonald, Merry-Lynn N
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Publication A genome-wide association study identifies risk loci for spirometric measures among smokers of European and African ancestry(BioMed Central, 2015) Lutz, Sharon M.; Cho, Michael; Young, Kendra; Hersh, Craig; Castaldi, Peter; McDonald, Merry-Lynn N; Regan, Elizabeth; Mattheisen, Manuel; Demeo, Dawn; Parker, Margaret; Foreman, Marilyn; Make, Barry J.; Jensen, Robert L.; Casaburi, Richard; Lomas, David A.; Bhatt, Surya P.; Bakke, Per; Gulsvik, Amund; Crapo, James D.; Beaty, Terri H.; Laird, Nan; Lange, Christoph; Hokanson, John E.; Silverman, EdwinBackground: Pulmonary function decline is a major contributor to morbidity and mortality among smokers. Post bronchodilator FEV1 and FEV1/FVC ratio are considered the standard assessment of airflow obstruction. We performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in 9919 current and former smokers in the COPDGene study (6659 non-Hispanic Whites [NHW] and 3260 African Americans [AA]) to identify associations with spirometric measures (post-bronchodilator FEV1 and FEV1/FVC). We also conducted meta-analysis of FEV1 and FEV1/FVC GWAS in the COPDGene, ECLIPSE, and GenKOLS cohorts (total n = 13,532). Results: Among NHW in the COPDGene cohort, both measures of pulmonary function were significantly associated with SNPs at the 15q25 locus [containing CHRNA3/5, AGPHD1, IREB2, CHRNB4] (lowest p-value = 2.17 × 10−11), and FEV1/FVC was associated with a genomic region on chromosome 4 [upstream of HHIP] (lowest p-value = 5.94 × 10−10); both regions have been previously associated with COPD. For the meta-analysis, in addition to confirming associations to the regions near CHRNA3/5 and HHIP, genome-wide significant associations were identified for FEV1 on chromosome 1 [TGFB2] (p-value = 8.99 × 10−9), 9 [DBH] (p-value = 9.69 × 10−9) and 19 [CYP2A6/7] (p-value = 3.49 × 10−8) and for FEV1/FVC on chromosome 1 [TGFB2] (p-value = 8.99 × 10−9), 4 [FAM13A] (p-value = 3.88 × 10−12), 11 [MMP3/12] (p-value = 3.29 × 10−10) and 14 [RIN3] (p-value = 5.64 × 10−9). Conclusions: In a large genome-wide association study of lung function in smokers, we found genome-wide significant associations at several previously described loci with lung function or COPD. We additionally identified a novel genome-wide significant locus with FEV1 on chromosome 9 [DBH] in a meta-analysis of three study populations. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12863-015-0299-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.Publication A comparative analysis of family-based and population-based association tests using whole genome sequence data(BioMed Central, 2014) Zhou, Jin J; Yip, Wai-Ki; Cho, Michael; Qiao, Dandi; McDonald, Merry-Lynn N; Laird, NanThe revolution in next-generation sequencing has made obtaining both common and rare high-quality sequence variants across the entire genome feasible. Because researchers are now faced with the analytical challenges of handling a massive amount of genetic variant information from sequencing studies, numerous methods have been developed to assess the impact of both common and rare variants on disease traits. In this report, whole genome sequencing data from Genetic Analysis Workshop 18 was used to compare the power of several methods, considering both family-based and population-based designs, to detect association with variants in the MAP4 gene region and on chromosome 3 with blood pressure. To prioritize variants across the genome for testing, variants were first functionally assessed using prediction algorithms and expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) data. Four set-based tests in the family-based association tests (FBAT) framework--FBAT-v, FBAT-lmm, FBAT-m, and FBAT-l--were used to analyze 20 pedigrees, and 2 variance component tests, sequence kernel association test (SKAT) and genome-wide complex trait analysis (GCTA), were used with 142 unrelated individuals in the sample. Both set-based and variance-component-based tests had high power and an adequate type I error rate. Of the various FBATs, FBAT-l demonstrated superior performance, indicating the potential for it to be used in rare-variant analysis. The updated FBAT package is available at: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/fbat/.Publication A Genome-wide analysis of the response to inhaled beta2-agonists in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease(2015) Hardin, Megan; Cho, Michael; McDonald, Merry-Lynn N; Wan, Emily; Lomas, David A.; Coxson, Harvey O.; MacNee, William; Vestbo, Jørgen; Yates, Julie C.; Agusti, Alvar; Calverley, Peter MA; Celli, Bartolome; Crim, Courtney; Rennard, Stephen; Wouters, Emiel; Bakke, Per; Bhatt, Surya P; Kim, Victor; Ramsdell, Joe; Regan, Elizabeth A.; Make, Barry J.; Hokanson, John E.; Crapo, James D.; Beaty, Terri H.; Hersh, CraigShort-acting β2-agonist bronchodilators are the most common medications used in treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Genetic variants determining bronchodilator responsiveness (BDR) in COPD have not been identified. We performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of BDR in 5789 current or former smokers with COPD in one African American and four white populations. BDR was defined as the quantitative spirometric response to inhaled β2-agonists. We combined results in a meta-analysis. In the meta-analysis, SNPs in the genes KCNK1 (P=2.02×10−7) and KCNJ2 (P=1.79×10−7) were the top associations with BDR. Among African Americans, SNPs in CDH13 were significantly associated with BDR (P=5.1×10−9). A nominal association with CDH13 was identified in a gene-based analysis in all subjects. We identified suggestive association with BDR among COPD subjects for variants near two potassium channel genes (KCNK1 and KCNJ2). SNPs in CDH13 were significantly associated with BDR in African Americans.Publication Clinical, physiologic, and radiographic factors contributing to development of hypoxemia in moderate to severe COPD: a cohort study(BioMed Central, 2016) Wells, J. Michael; Estepar, Raul San Jose; McDonald, Merry-Lynn N; Bhatt, Surya P.; Diaz, Alejandro A.; Bailey, William C.; Jacobson, Francine; Dransfield, Mark T.; Washko, George; Make, Barry J.; Casaburi, Richard; van Beek, Edwin J. R.; Hoffman, Eric A.; Sciurba, Frank C.; Crapo, James D.; Silverman, Edwin; Hersh, CraigBackground: Hypoxemia is a major complication of COPD and is a strong predictor of mortality. We previously identified independent risk factors for the presence of resting hypoxemia in the COPDGene cohort. However, little is known about characteristics that predict onset of resting hypoxemia in patients who are normoxic at baseline. We hypothesized that a combination of clinical, physiologic, and radiographic characteristics would predict development of resting hypoxemia after 5-years of follow-up in participants with moderate to severe COPD Methods: We analyzed 678 participants with moderate-to-severe COPD recruited into the COPDGene cohort who completed baseline and 5-year follow-up visits and who were normoxic by pulse oximetry at baseline. Development of resting hypoxemia was defined as an oxygen saturation ≤88% on ambient air at rest during follow-up. Demographic and clinical characteristics, lung function, and radiographic indices were analyzed with logistic regression models to identify predictors of the development of hypoxemia. Results: Forty-six participants (7%) developed resting hypoxemia at follow-up. Enrollment at Denver (OR 8.30, 95%CI 3.05–22.6), lower baseline oxygen saturation (OR 0.70, 95%CI 0.58–0.85), self-reported heart failure (OR 6.92, 95%CI 1.56–30.6), pulmonary artery (PA) enlargement on computed tomography (OR 2.81, 95%CI 1.17–6.74), and prior severe COPD exacerbation (OR 3.31, 95%CI 1.38–7.90) were independently associated with development of resting hypoxemia. Participants who developed hypoxemia had greater decline in 6-min walk distance and greater 5-year decline in quality of life compared to those who remained normoxic at follow-up. Conclusions: Development of clinically significant hypoxemia over a 5-year span is associated with comorbid heart failure, PA enlargement and severe COPD exacerbation. Further studies are needed to determine if treatments targeting these factors can prevent new onset hypoxemia. Trial registration COPDGene is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00608764 (Registration Date: January 28, 2008) Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12890-016-0331-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.