Skip to main content
. 2021 Mar 15;10:e63115. doi: 10.7554/eLife.63115

Figure 2. Genome-wide investigation of biochemical traits related to lung function.

(a) Heatmap of genetic correlations (rg) between three spirometry measures (forced expiratory volume in 1 s [FEV1], forced vital capacity [FVC], and their ratio [FEV1/FVC]) and a number of European ancestry genome-wide association studies. Genetic correlation estimates were plotted if the trait was significantly correlated with at least one of the lung function traits after Bonferroni correction. Hierarchical clustering was applied to the rows and utilised Pearson’s correlation distance. (b) Latent causal variable models between correlated biochemical traits (selected by linkage disequilibrium score regression) that are potentially drug targets (metabolite or hormone traits) and each measure of lung function. The posterior mean genetic causality proportion (GCP) is plotted, with the error bars representing the upper and lower limits defined by its posterior mean standard error. A positive GCP estimate significantly different than zero indicates partial genetic causality of the biochemical trait on the spirometry measure.

Figure 2.

Figure 2—figure supplement 1. Investigation of the effect of fasting glucose on lung function using two-sample Mendelian randomisation (MR).

Figure 2—figure supplement 1.

MR results for (a) forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and (b) forced vital capacity (FVC). The left scatter plot indicates the effect size of the instrumental variable (IV) SNP effects on fasting glucose (mmol/L) and FEV1 or FVC, respectively (standard deviation units). Each regression slope corresponds to the causal estimate between fasting glucose and each lung function measure, with the slopes shaded by the MR method used to calculate the causal estimate. The forest plot on the right indicates the results of the ‘leave-one-out analysis’. Each black point represents the causal estimate (inverse variance weighted [IVW] estimator with multiplicative random effects) of fasting glucose on each lung function measure with the SNP (IV) labelled on the y-axis removed; error bars represent upper and lower confidence intervals. The combined IVW estimate with all IVs is represented by the red point (‘All’).