title: Genome-wide association studies on serum sex steroid levels.
abstract: Even though the levels of circulating sex steroid hormones are to a large extent heritable, their genetic determinants are largely unknown. With the advent of genome-wide association studies (GWAS), much progress has been made and several genetic loci have been identified to be associated with serum levels of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, testosterone and sex hormone-binding globulin. The variants identified so far only explain a small amount of the overall heritability, but may help to elucidate the role of sex steroid hormones in common disorders such as hypogonadism, type 2 diabetes and hormone-sensitive cancers. This review provides an overview of the current state of knowledge of the genetic determinants of sex steroid hormones, with a focus on recent GWAS and brief directions for elucidating the remaining heritability.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Bone and Arthritis Research, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden. Electronic address: liesbeth.vandenput@medic.gu.se.
authors.forename: Liesbeth
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vandenput
authors.affiliation: Centre for Bone and Arthritis Research, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Claes
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ohlsson
mesh_terms: D019314:Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate / Q000097:blood; D055106:Genome-Wide Association Study; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D012738:Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones; D012738:Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin; D013739:Testosterone; D019314:Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate
keywords: Dehydroepiandrosterone; Estradiol; Genome-wide association studies; Hypogonadism; Sex hormone-binding globulin; Testosterone