Expressive

rs10821938 (ARID5B): Adult Height Genetic Variant

Key takeaways

  • rs10821938 near ARID5B is part of a set of 12,111 common variants associated with adult height.
  • The study that identified it analyzed over 5.4 million people across five ancestry groups.
  • Together, identified height variants explain about 40-45% of height differences in European ancestry populations.
  • Genetic prediction of height is less accurate in non-European populations, likely due to allele frequency differences rather than biological differences.
  • No lifestyle or clinical implications have been established for this specific variant.

Key takeaways

  • rs10821938, located near the ARID5B (AT-Rich Interaction Domain 5B) gene, is one of thousands of common variants linked to differences in adult height.
  • A genome-wide study of more than 5.4 million people identified 12,111 height-associated variants, with this locus among them, accounting for nearly all common-variant heritability of height.
  • Across all 12,111 identified variants combined, roughly 40-45% of height variation in people of European ancestry is explained, but only around 10-24% in other ancestry groups.
  • Lower prediction accuracy in non-European populations reflects differences in allele frequency patterns and genetic linkage, not differences in the underlying biology.
  • No lifestyle or clinical interventions have been linked to this specific variant in the available evidence.

What the research says A genome-wide association study (GWAS - a method that simultaneously scans hundreds of thousands of DNA positions across the genome) of 5,380,080 individuals from five ancestry groups identified 12,111 independent common SNPs (single-nucleotide polymorphisms, meaning single-letter changes in the DNA sequence) significantly associated with adult height, including rs10821938 near the ARID5B region. These variants cluster within approximately 7,209 non-overlapping genomic segments covering around 21% of the human genome, and together explain nearly all common-variant-based heritability for height. Using the full HapMap 3 variant panel, the identified associations account for roughly 45% of height variance in European ancestry samples, dropping to approximately 10-24% in other ancestry groups.

Reported associations

  • Adult height: rs10821938, near the ARID5B locus, is among 12,111 common variants identified as significantly associated with adult human height in a GWAS of 5,380,080 individuals spanning European, East Asian, Hispanic, African, and South Asian ancestry groups; a specific per-allele effect size for this variant is not reported in the available study excerpt.

Evidence quality The supporting evidence comes from a discovery sample of 5,380,080 individuals across 281 cohorts, one of the largest GWAS datasets assembled for any human trait. At this scale, the authors characterize the map of common height variants as near-saturated for European ancestry populations, meaning additional common variants of meaningful effect are unlikely to remain undiscovered in that group. Effect sizes and gene prioritization are reported to be broadly consistent across ancestries, which supports the generalizability of the height association at this locus. No conflicting findings are present in the available evidence. The authors note that non-European ancestry populations remain under-represented in the study, that rare variants are not captured by this common-variant GWAS design, and that fine-mapping of individual causal variants at specific loci requires further work. Per-allele effect size and p-value for rs10821938 specifically are not available in the provided study excerpt.

Lifestyle considerations No lifestyle considerations on file for this variant.

Frequently asked questions

What is rs10821938?

rs10821938 is a common genetic variant located near the ARID5B gene. It has been identified as one of thousands of variants associated with differences in adult height in a large-scale genome-wide study.

What does the ARID5B gene do?

ARID5B stands for AT-Rich Interaction Domain 5B. The available research identifies this gene region as one of many locations in the genome associated with adult height, but does not detail ARID5B's specific biological function in the provided study text.

How much does rs10821938 affect height?

A specific effect size for rs10821938 alone is not reported in the available study excerpt. Across all 12,111 identified height variants combined, roughly 40-45% of height variation in European ancestry populations is explained.

Is rs10821938 relevant for people of all ancestry backgrounds?

The identifying study included participants of European, East Asian, Hispanic, African, and South Asian ancestry. Height prediction from identified variants is notably less accurate in non-European groups, likely because allele frequencies and genetic linkage patterns differ across populations.

Does rs10821938 have any clinical significance?

The available evidence describes rs10821938 as a statistically associated variant identified in a research context. No clinical significance or actionable health implications have been established for this specific variant in the provided studies.