title: The case for genome-wide association studies of bone acquisition in paediatric and adolescent populations.
abstract: Peak bone mass, the maximum amount of bone accrued at the end of the growth period, is an important predictor of future risk of osteoporosis and fracture. Hence, the contribution of genetic factors influencing bone accrual is of considerable interest to the osteoporosis research community. In this article, we review evidence that genetic factors play an important role in bone growth, describe the genetic loci implicated so far and briefly discuss lessons learned from the application of genome-wide association studies. Moreover, we attempt to make the case for genetic investigations of bone mineral density in paediatric and young adult populations, describing their potential to increase our knowledge of the process of bone metabolism throughout the life course, and in turn, identify novel targets for the pharmacological treatment of osteoporosis.
authors.affiliation: University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, Level 5 Translational Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK; Joint first authors.
authors.forename: John P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Kemp
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Joint first authors.
authors.forename: Carolina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Medina-Gomez
authors.affiliation: School of Clinical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK; Joint senior authors.
authors.forename: Jonathan H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Tobias
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Joint senior authors.
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rivadeneira
authors.affiliation: University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, Level 5 Translational Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK; Joint senior authors.
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Evans