Postdoctoral Fellow
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Project Title: “Genetic and environmental determinants of early pregnancy maternal dyslipidemia in an ethnic diverse cohort.”
Abnormal levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLc), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLc) and triglycerides in blood is defined as dyslipidemia, and they are risk factors for cardiovascular disease and premature death. The known genetic loci associated with blood lipid levels, as identified by genome-wide association studies (GWASs), accounts for approximately 9% to 19.5% of the variance in lipid traits, which is far below the family-based genetic heritability estimates. Because single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with dyslipidemia were discovered by GWAS predominantly involving male European ancestry populations, information is lacking on pregnant women, where dyslipidemia has been linked with higher or lower birth weight offspring, and on ethnic minorities in the U.S.
A growing number of studies have shown that psychosocial factors, such as stress and perceived racism, are also related to lipid dysregulation. Including perceived stress (such as racial discrimination) and nativity in multiethnic GWAS will increase understanding of gene-environment interactions and differences in those relationships by ethnic group within the U.S. Dr. Ouidir proposes to identify new genetic loci contributing to dyslipidemia by conducting GWAS in ethnic groups followed by a trans-ethnic meta-analysis of four self-identified race/ethnic groups in the U.S. Moreover, to help inform preventive public health interventions, environmental factors that modify the genetic risk of dyslipidemia will also be determined.
Specific aims are:
- Identification of ancestry-specific and -shared genetic loci for dyslipidemia in early pregnancy.
- Identification of environmental modifiers (such as nativity, perceived stress and obesity status) of the genetic variants that predispose women to dyslipidemia.
