Abstract
Increased systemic levels of myeloperoxidase (MPO) are associated with the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). To identify the genetic factors that are associated with circulating MPO levels, we carried out a genome-wide association study (GWAS) and a gene-centric analysis in subjects of European ancestry and African Americans (AAs). A locus on chromosome 1q31.1 containing the complement factor H (
CFH
) gene was strongly associated with serum MPO levels in 9305 subjects of European ancestry (lead SNP rs800292;
P
= 4.89 × 10
−41
) and in 1690 AA subjects (rs505102;
P
= 1.05 × 10
−8
). Gene-centric analyses in 8335 subjects of European ancestry additionally identified two rare
MPO
coding sequence variants that were associated with serum MPO levels (rs28730837,
P
= 5.21 × 10
−12
; rs35897051,
P
= 3.32 × 10
−8
). A GWAS for plasma MPO levels in 9260 European ancestry subjects identified a chromosome 17q22 region near
MPO
that was significantly associated (lead SNP rs6503905;
P
= 2.94 × 10
−12
), but the
CFH
locus did not exhibit evidence of association with plasma MPO levels. Functional analyses revealed that rs800292 was associated with levels of complement proteins in serum. Variants at chromosome 17q22 also had pleiotropic
cis
effects on gene expression. In a case–control analysis of ∼80 000 subjects from CARDIoGRAM, none of the identified single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were associated with CAD. These results suggest that distinct genetic factors regulate serum and plasma MPO levels, which may have relevance for various acute and chronic inflammatory disorders. The clinical implications for CAD and a better understanding of the functional basis for the association of
CFH
and
MPO
variants with circulating MPO levels require further study.