Last updated:
Author(s):
Hannah L. Nicholls, Jose D. Vargas, Mihir M. Sanghvi, Hyo-Suk Ahn, C. Anwar A. Chahal, Mohammed Y. Khanji, Steffen E. Petersen, Patricia B. Munroe, Nay Aung
Publish date:
27 February 2026
Journal:
Nature Communications
PubMed ID:
41760662

Abstract

Left and right ventricular imaging measures are essential for heart failure diagnosis and prognostication, yet their genetic architecture remains underexplored. We conduct genome-wide association analyses of twenty left and right cardiovascular magnetic resonance phenotypes in 56,509 UK Biobank participants, including conventional measurements (e.g., volumes/ejection fraction) and novel parameters (left ventricular global function index and myocardial contraction fraction). We identify 200 loci associated with at least one phenotype (P < 5×10-8); 58 being novel. A polygenic risk score for left ventricular global function index negative associates with heart failure in phenome-wide scan. Rare variant analysis reveals enrichment of deleterious variants across 13 genes (P < 2.5×10-6). Colocalisation with heart failure implicates 23 shared loci and bioinformatic analysis prioritises genes including HSPB7, CAMK2D, ALDH2, ENG, and YWHAE. Druggability analysis highlights PDE3A, informing divergent effects of non-selective PDE3 inhibition. In this work, we expand our knowledge of cardiac ventricular genetics, suggesting potential heart failure therapeutic targets.

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Institution:
Queen Mary University of London, Great Britain

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