Lessons Learned From Past Gene-Environment Interaction Successes.

TitleLessons Learned From Past Gene-Environment Interaction Successes.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2017
AuthorsRitz, BR, Chatterjee, N, Garcia-Closas, M, W Gauderman, J, Pierce, BL, Kraft, P, Tanner, CM, Mechanic, LE, McAllister, K
JournalAm J Epidemiol
Volume186
Issue7
Pagination778-786
Date Published2017 Oct 01
ISSN1476-6256
KeywordsBiomedical Research, Disease, Environmental Exposure, Gene-Environment Interaction, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, Genetic Variation, Genome-Wide Association Study, Humans, Models, Biological
Abstract

Genetic and environmental factors are both known to contribute to susceptibility to complex diseases. Therefore, the study of gene-environment interaction (G×E) has been a focus of research for several years. In this article, select examples of G×E from the literature are described to highlight different approaches and underlying principles related to the success of these studies. These examples can be broadly categorized as studies of single metabolism genes, genes in complex metabolism pathways, ranges of exposure levels, functional approaches and model systems, and pharmacogenomics. Some studies illustrated the success of studying exposure metabolism for which candidate genes can be identified. Moreover, some G×E successes depended on the availability of high-quality exposure assessment and longitudinal measures, study populations with a wide range of exposure levels, and the inclusion of ethnically and geographically diverse populations. In several examples, large population sizes were required to detect G×Es. Other examples illustrated the impact of accurately defining scale of the interactions (i.e., additive or multiplicative). Last, model systems and functional approaches provided insights into G×E in several examples. Future studies may benefit from these lessons learned.

DOI10.1093/aje/kwx230
Alternate JournalAm J Epidemiol
PubMed ID28978190
PubMed Central IDPMC5860326
Grant ListU24 OD023382 / OD / NIH HHS / United States
R01 ES023834 / ES / NIEHS NIH HHS / United States
R21 ES024834 / ES / NIEHS NIH HHS / United States
P01 CA196569 / CA / NCI NIH HHS / United States
P30 ES007048 / ES / NIEHS NIH HHS / United States
R35 CA197449 / CA / NCI NIH HHS / United States
R35 ES028379 / ES / NIEHS NIH HHS / United States
U01 HG009088 / HG / NHGRI NIH HHS / United States