Hostility in adolescents and adults: a genome-wide association study of the Young Finns

P Merjonen,M Kivimäki,J Kettunen,J Viikari,M Kähönen,M Elovainio,M Jokela,L Peltonen,I Seppälä,O T Raitakari,L Pulkki-Råback,T Lehtimäki,S Ripatti,L Keltikangas-Järvinen,A Palotie,L-P Lyytikäinen

doi:10.1038/tp.2011.13

Abstract

Hostility is a multidimensional personality trait with changing expression over the life course. We performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of the components of hostility in a population-based sample of Finnish men and women for whom a total of 2.5 million single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were available through direct or in silico genotyping. Hostility dimensions (anger, cynicism and paranoia) were assessed at four time points over a 15-year interval (age range 15–30 years at phase 1 and 30–45 years at phase 4) in 982–1780 participants depending on the hostility measure. Few promising areas from chromosome 14 at 99 cM (top SNPs rs3783337, rs7158754, rs3783332, rs2181102, rs7159195, rs11160570, rs941898, P values <3.9 × 10−8 with nearest gene Enah/Vasp-like (EVL)) were found suggestively to be related to paranoia and from chromosome 7 at 86 cM (top SNPs rs802047, rs802028, rs802030, rs802026, rs802036, rs802025, rs802024, rs802032, rs802049, rs802051, P values <6.9 × 10−7 with nearest gene CROT (carnitine O-octanoyltransferase)) to cynicism, respectively. Some shared suggestive genetic influence for both paranoia and cynicism was also found from chromosome 17 at 2.8 cM (SNPs rs12936442, rs894664, rs6502671, rs7216028) and chromosome 22 at 43 cM (SNPs rs7510759, rs7510924, rs7290560), with nearest genes RAP1 GTPase activating protein 2 (RAP1GAP2) and KIAA1644, respectively. These suggestive associations did not replicate across all measurement times, which warrants further study on these SNPs in other populations.

Highlights

Hostility is a personality trait characterizing how trustworthy individuals perceive other people and how they handle these feelings toward others
Both genetic and environmental factors are involved in the development of hostility,[9] with heritability estimated to be B30–50%
We report a large-scale genome-wide association study (GWAS) of hostility where over 2.5 million single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were analyzed, thereby mapping the most potentially significant areas of the genome regarding hostility for further inspection and providing preliminary evidence of the genetic basis of hostility

Summary

Introduction

Hostility is a personality trait characterizing how trustworthy individuals perceive other people and how they handle these feelings toward others. Hostility traits have been found to be related to various social and health problems, such as criminality and violence,[2,3] isolation and relationship aggression,[4] depression,[5] cardiovascular diseases[6] and all-cause mortality risk,[7] the findings are not entirely consistent.[8] Identifying the origins of hostility may help to understand the developmental paths related to hostility and to develop effective preventions to reduce problems related to hostile behaviors Both genetic and environmental factors are involved in the development of hostility,[9] with heritability estimated to be B30–50%.10–12. We report a large-scale genome-wide association study (GWAS) of hostility where over 2.5 million single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were analyzed, thereby mapping the most potentially significant areas of the genome regarding hostility for further inspection and providing preliminary evidence of the genetic basis of hostility

Methods

Results

Conclusion