Genome-wide association study of preterm birth and gestational age in a Japanese population

Abstract

Preterm birth (PTB), defined as the birth of a baby at <37 weeks of gestation, is known to be the main cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. Here, we report genetic associations between preterm birth and gestational age in a Japanese population. We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 384 cases who delivered prematurely and 644 controls and considered gestational age as a quantitative trait in 1028 Japanese women. Unfortunately, we were unable to identify any significant variants associated with PTB or gestational age using the current sample. We also examined genetic associations previously reported in European populations and identified no associations, even with the genome-wide subthreshold (p value < 10–6). This data report aims to provide summary statistics of current GWASs on PTB in a Japanese population for future meta-analyses of genetics and PTB with larger sample sizes.