MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit (IEU) Seminar Series

Title: Genetic Correlates of Social Stratification in Great Britain

Abstract: Human DNA polymorphisms vary across geographic regions, with most common variation observed reflecting distant ancestry differences. We investigate the geographic clustering of common genetic variants that influence complex traits in a sample of ~450,000 individuals from Great Britain. Out of 33 traits analyzed, 21 show significant geographic clustering at the genetic level after controlling for ancestry, likely reflecting migration driven by socio-economic status (SES). Alleles associated with educational attainment (EA) show most clustering, with EA-decreasing alleles clustering in lower SES areas such as coal mining areas. Individuals that leave coal mining areas carry more EA-increasing alleles on average than the rest of Great Britain. The level of geographic clustering is correlated with genetic associations between complex traits and regional measures of SES, health, and cultural outcomes. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that social stratification leaves visible marks in geographic arrangements of common allele frequencies and gene-environment correlations. 

Biography: 

Abdel Abdellaoui is a postdoctoral researcher at the Amsterdam University Medical Centre. He has been involved in a wide range of studies on complex traits genetics and population genetics. He is particularly interested in how collective behaviors, such as migration and mate-choice, influence the genetic make-up of populations.

All welcome