A genome-wide cross-trait analysis from UK Biobank highlights the shared genetic architecture of asthma and allergic diseases

Clinical and epidemiological data suggest that asthma and allergic diseases are associated and may share a common genetic etiology. We analyzed genome-wide SNP data for asthma and allergic diseases in 33,593 cases and 76,768 controls of European ancestry from UK Biobank. Two publicly available independent genome-wide association studies were used for replication. We have found a strong genome-wide genetic correlation between asthma and allergic diseases (rg = 0.75, P = 6.84 × 10−62). Cross-trait analysis identified 38 genome-wide significant loci, including 7 novel shared loci. Computational analysis showed that shared genetic loci are enriched in immune/inflammatory systems and tissues with epithelium cells. Our work identifies common genetic architectures shared between asthma and allergy and will help to advance understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying co-morbid asthma and allergic diseases. Genome-wide cross-trait analysis shows a strong genetic correlation between asthma and allergic diseases. Shared susceptibility loci are enriched for genes involved in immune and inflammatory responses and genes expressed in epithelial tissues.