Genome-wide association meta-analysis identifies 48 risk variants and highlights the role of the stria vascularis in hearing loss
- PMID: 35580588
- PMCID: PMC9247887
- DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2022.04.010
Genome-wide association meta-analysis identifies 48 risk variants and highlights the role of the stria vascularis in hearing loss
Abstract
Hearing loss is one of the top contributors to years lived with disability and is a risk factor for dementia. Molecular evidence on the cellular origins of hearing loss in humans is growing. Here, we performed a genome-wide association meta-analysis of clinically diagnosed and self-reported hearing impairment on 723,266 individuals and identified 48 significant loci, 10 of which are novel. A large proportion of associations comprised missense variants, half of which lie within known familial hearing loss loci. We used single-cell RNA-sequencing data from mouse cochlea and brain and mapped common-variant genomic results to spindle, root, and basal cells from the stria vascularis, a structure in the cochlea necessary for normal hearing. Our findings indicate the importance of the stria vascularis in the mechanism of hearing impairment, providing future paths for developing targets for therapeutic intervention in hearing loss.
Keywords: ARHL; GWAS; basal cells; cochlea; genetics; hair cells; hearing loss; root cells; spindle cells; stria vascularis.
Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Conflict of interest statement
Declaration of interests The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. C.R.C. is supported by the UK National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Center but the views expressed herein are his own and do not represent those of NIHR nor the UK Department of Health and Social Care. Y.Z. and V.M.L. are co-founders and shareholders of PersoMedix AB. In addition, V.M.L. is CEO and shareholder of HepaPredict AB and discloses support by the Robert Bosch Foundation, Merck KGaA, and Eli Lilly and Company. J.H.L. is co-founder and share-holder of Oscellaria AB. H.L. receives support from a consulting contract between Data Tecnica International and the National Institute on Aging (NIA), National Institutes of Health (NIH). M.A.N. received a competitive contract awarded to Data Tecnica International LLC by the National Institutes of Health to support open science research, and he also currently serves on the scientific advisory board for Clover Therapeutics and is an advisor to Neuron23 Inc as a data science fellow. P.F.S. is consultant and shareholder of Neumora.
Figures


Similar articles
-
The Stria Vascularis: Renewed Attention on a Key Player in Age-Related Hearing Loss.Int J Mol Sci. 2024 May 15;25(10):5391. doi: 10.3390/ijms25105391. Int J Mol Sci. 2024. PMID: 38791427 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Development of the stria vascularis in the common marmoset, a primate model.Sci Rep. 2022 Nov 17;12(1):19811. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-24380-6. Sci Rep. 2022. PMID: 36396805 Free PMC article.
-
Hepatocyte Growth Factor-c-MET Signaling Mediates the Development of Nonsensory Structures of the Mammalian Cochlea and Hearing.J Neurosci. 2016 Aug 3;36(31):8200-9. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4410-15.2016. J Neurosci. 2016. PMID: 27488639 Free PMC article.
-
Noncoding Microdeletion in Mouse Hgf Disrupts Neural Crest Migration into the Stria Vascularis, Reduces the Endocochlear Potential, and Suggests the Neuropathology for Human Nonsyndromic Deafness DFNB39.J Neurosci. 2020 Apr 8;40(15):2976-2992. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2278-19.2020. Epub 2020 Mar 9. J Neurosci. 2020. PMID: 32152201 Free PMC article.
-
Hearing restoration and the stria vascularis: evidence for the role of the immune system in hearing restoration.Curr Opin Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2021 Oct 1;29(5):373-384. doi: 10.1097/MOO.0000000000000738. Curr Opin Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2021. PMID: 34459799 Free PMC article. Review.
Cited by
-
Pharmacological Approaches to Hearing Loss.Pharmacol Rev. 2024 Oct 16;76(6):1063-1088. doi: 10.1124/pharmrev.124.001195. Pharmacol Rev. 2024. PMID: 39164117 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Uncovering the multivariate genetic architecture of frailty with genomic structural equation modeling.Nat Genet. 2025 Aug;57(8):1848-1859. doi: 10.1038/s41588-025-02269-0. Epub 2025 Aug 4. Nat Genet. 2025. PMID: 40759756
-
A Systematic Review on the Genetic Contribution to Tinnitus.J Assoc Res Otolaryngol. 2024 Feb;25(1):13-33. doi: 10.1007/s10162-024-00925-6. Epub 2024 Feb 9. J Assoc Res Otolaryngol. 2024. PMID: 38334885 Free PMC article.
-
The Stria Vascularis: Renewed Attention on a Key Player in Age-Related Hearing Loss.Int J Mol Sci. 2024 May 15;25(10):5391. doi: 10.3390/ijms25105391. Int J Mol Sci. 2024. PMID: 38791427 Free PMC article. Review.
-
miR-409-3p Regulates IFNG and p16 Signaling in the Human Blood of Aging-Related Hearing Loss.Cells. 2024 Sep 23;13(18):1595. doi: 10.3390/cells13181595. Cells. 2024. PMID: 39329776 Free PMC article.
References
Publication types
MeSH terms
Grants and funding
- R01 AG054076/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States
- RF1 AG059421/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States
- HHSN268201500001C/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States
- U01 DC013817/DC/NIDCD NIH HHS/United States
- N01 HC025195/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States
- U01 AG058589/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States
- HHSN268201500001I/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States
- R01 AG059727/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States
- R01 DC019370/DC/NIDCD NIH HHS/United States
- UH2 NS100605/NS/NINDS NIH HHS/United States
- R01 NS017950/NS/NINDS NIH HHS/United States
- UF1 NS125513/NS/NINDS NIH HHS/United States
- R01 DC013817/DC/NIDCD NIH HHS/United States
- R01 AG049607/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States
- R01 AG066524/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States
- RF1 AG063507/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States
- P30 AG066546/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States
- U01 AG052409/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States
- 75N92019D00031/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States
- WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources
Medical