Genetic Studies on Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Abstract

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a highly heterogeneous reproductive system disorder of which the aetiology is not fully understood. Previous association studies have been conducted on >100 candidate genes, which principally related to reproductive hormones, cellular metabolism and chronic inflammation. Heritable tendencies have long been recognized for pathogeneses of PCOS, and recently a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in PCOS provides new clues to understand the genetic components and pathways in PCOS physiology. However, the current knowledge of the pathogenesis of PCOS is still in its infancy. Further studies using new technologies such as next-generation sequencing (NGS) shall be useful to understand more causal variants for PCOS.

Keywords: genetic association study; genome-wide association study; polycystic ovary syndrome.