Genome sequence analyses identify novel risk loci for multiple system atrophy.

Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is an adult-onset, sporadic synucleinopathy characterized by parkinsonism, cerebellar ataxia, and dysautonomia. The genetic architecture of MSA is poorly understood, and treatments are limited to supportive measures. Here, we performed a comprehensive analysis of whole genome sequence data from 888 European-ancestry MSA cases and 7,128 controls to systematically investigate the genetic underpinnings of this understudied neurodegenerative disease. We identified four significantly associated risk loci using a genome-wide association study approach. Transcriptome-wide association analyses prioritized USP38-DT, KCTD7, and lnc-KCTD7-2 as novel susceptibility genes for MSA within these loci, and single-nucleus RNA sequence analysis found that the associated variants acted as cis-expression quantitative trait loci for multiple genes across neuronal and glial cell types. In conclusion, this study highlights the role of genetic determinants in the pathogenesis of MSA, and the publicly available data from this study represent a valuable resource for investigating synucleinopathies.

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Published by Elsevier Inc.

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Declaration of interests T.G.B. is a consultant for Aprinoia Therapeutics, Vivid Genomics, and Avid Radiopharmaceutical and is a scientific advisory board member for Vivid Genomics. J.A.H., H.R.M., B.J.T., and H.R.M. hold US, EU, and Canadian patents on the clinical testing and therapeutic intervention for the hexanucleotide repeat expansion of C9orf72. B.J.T. and S.W.S. receive research support from Cerevel Therapeutics. B.J.T. is an editorial and advisory board member for Brain, eClinicalMedicine, Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry, and Neurobiology of Aging. H.R.M. reports paid consultancy from Biogen, Biohaven, Lundbeck, UCB, and Denali as well as lecture fees and honoraria from the Wellcome Trust and the Movement Disorders Society. H.R.M. received research grants from Parkinson’s UK, Cure Parkinson’s Trust, PSP Association, CBD Solutions, the Drake Foundation, and the Medical Research Council. H.K. is editor-in-chief of Clinical Autonomic Research, serves as principal investigator (PI) of a clinical trial sponsored by Biogen MA Inc. (TRACK MSA, S19-01846), and received consultancy fees from Lilly USA LLC, Biohaven Pharmaceuticals Inc., Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd., Ono Pharma UK Ltd., Lundbeck LLC, and Theravance Biopharma US Inc. A.F. reports royalties from Springer Verlag; speaker fees and honoraria from Theravance Biopharma, GE Health Care, Broadview Ventures, Austrian Autonomic Society, Stopp-HSP, and Elsevier; and research grants from the FWF-Austrian Science Fund, Medical University of Innsbruck, US MSA Coalition, Dr. Johannes and Hertha Tuba Foundation, and Austrian Exchange Program, outside of the present work. J.-A.P. is an editorial board member of Movement Disorders, Parkinsonism & Related Disorders, BMC Neurology, and Clinical Autonomic Research. I.B. received consultancy fees from Theravance Biopharma US Inc., Amenal Pharmaceutics, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, and Neurawell Therapeutics. S.W.S. serves on the scientific advisory board of the Lewy Body Dementia Association and the Multiple System Atrophy Coalition. S.W.S. is an editorial board member for the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease and JAMA Neurology. A.P. serves on the board of directors for CurePSP, has received research grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Michael J. Fox Foundation, and has received consultancy fees from AbbVie Inc., Biogen Inc., SciNeuro Pharmaceuticals, Ono Pharma, and Ferrer Internacional, S.A. A.T. serves on the scientific advisory board for Vivid Genomics. R.H.R. is currently employed by CoSyne Therapeutics; all work performed for this publication was performed on her own time and not as a part of her duties as an employee. Z.K.W. is partially supported by the NIH/NIA and NIH/NINDS (1U19AG063911, FAIN: U19AG063911), the Mayo Clinic Center for Regenerative Medicine, the gifts from the Donald G. and Jodi P. Heeringa Family, the Haworth Family Professorship in Neurodegenerative Diseases fund, and the Albertson Parkinson's Research Foundation. He serves as PI or co-PI on Biohaven Pharmaceuticals Inc. (BHV4157-206) and Vigil Neuroscience Inc. (VGL101-01.002, VGL101-01.201, PET tracer development protocol, Csf1r biomarker and repository project, and ultra-high field MRI in the diagnosis and management of CSF1R-related adult-onset leukoencephalopathy with axonal spheroids and pigmented glia) projects/grants. He serves as co-PI of the Mayo Clinic APDA Center for Advanced Research, as an external advisory board member for Vigil Neuroscience Inc., and as a consultant on neurodegenerative medical research for Eli Lilli & Company. F.K. received personal fees from Institut de Recherches Internationales Servier, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Sanofi, Teva, Vial, and the Austrian Society of Neurology in the past 12 months, and he has ongoing grant support from the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) and the National Institutes of Health outside of the submitted work. W.G.M. has received fees for editorial activities with Elsevier and has served as an advisor for Lundbeck, Biohaven, Roche, Alterity, Servier, Inhibikase, Takeda, and Teva.