Genome-wide association analyses of chronotype in 697,828 individuals provides insights into circadian rhythms

Being a morning person is a behavioural indicator of a person's underlying circadian rhythm. Using genome-wide data from 697,828 UK Biobank and 23andMe participants we increase the number of genetic loci associated with being a morning person from 24 to 351. Using data from 85,760 individuals with activity-monitor derived measures of sleep timing we find that the chronotype loci associate with sleep timing: the mean sleep timing of the 5% of individuals carrying the most morningness alleles is 25 min earlier than the 5% carrying the fewest. The loci are enriched for genes involved in circadian regulation, cAMP, glutamate and insulin signalling pathways, and those expressed in the retina, hindbrain,…

• WT
  Wellcome Trust

  Awards: MC_UU_00011/6, 107849, 104150, WT097835MF
• DR
  Diabetes Research and Wellness Foundation
• UO
  University of Manchester
• EC
  European Commission

  Awards: FP/2007-2013, 2007-2013, 669545, 323195, FP/2007-2013)/ERC
• UO
  University of Bristol

  Awards: MC_UU_00011/6, MC_UU_00011/3
• NI
  National Institutes of Health

  Awards: R01DK107859, FP/2007-2013, R01DK102696
• MR
  Medical Research Council

  Awards: MR/M005070/1, MC_UU_00011/6, MR/P012167/1, MR/M005070/1, MC_UU_00011/2, MC_UU_00011/3, 1078901, MC_PC_17228, MC_UU_00011/6, MR/P023576/2, MC_UU_00011, WT097835MF
• NH
  National Health and Medical Research Council

  Awards: 1078901, 1145645, MC_UU_00011/6, 1087889
• NH
  National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
• NI
  National Institute of Mental Health
• NI
  National Institute on Drug Abuse
• NH
  National Human Genome Research Institute
• NO
  NIH Office of the Director
• NC
  National Cancer Institute
• NI
  National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
• FI
  FP7 Ideas: European Research Council

  Awards: 323195, 669545, FP/2007-2013, 2007-2013
• CF
  Common Fund