rs117406155 (NPM2/FGF17): Blood Protein Ratio Variant

Key takeaways

• rs117406155 affects the ratio of two blood proteins, NPM2 and FGF17, not just the level of one.
• This type of variant is 7.6-fold more likely to reflect a true protein-protein interaction than a random protein pair.
• It was found in a UK Biobank study of over 54,000 people measuring nearly 1,500 blood proteins.
• Ratio-based genetic analysis detected 24.7% more signals than standard approaches, revealing biology that conventional methods miss.

What the research says rs117406155 is a ratio quantitative trait locus (rQTL) - a genetic variant associated with the ratio between circulating blood levels of two proteins, NPM2 and FGF17 - identified using Olink proximity extension assay proteomics data from more than 54,000 UK Biobank samples. A systematic genome-wide association study (GWAS) of protein ratios across 1,463 proteins produced 4,248 associations spanning 2,821 protein pairs, with the ratio-based approach yielding 24.7% more genetic signals than standard single-protein analysis. Ratio QTLs in this dataset are 7.6-fold enriched in established protein-protein interactions, suggesting that the NPM2:FGF17 ratio reflects a biologically meaningful relationship between these two proteins.

Reported associations

• NPM2:FGF17 protein ratio: rs117406155 is associated with the ratio between circulating NPM2 and FGF17 protein levels in blood, identified in a sample of more than 54,000 UK Biobank participants.
• Protein-protein interaction network: As an rQTL, this variant belongs to a class that is 7.6-fold enriched in known protein-protein interactions, suggesting a potential biological link between the two proteins.

Evidence quality This variant was identified in a single large-scale proteomics study (Suhre, Cell Genomics, 2024) using UK Biobank Olink data (n over 54,000, 1,463 proteins). The study reports aggregate statistics across 4,248 rQTL associations but does not provide a per-variant effect size or p-value for rs117406155 in the text available for review. No independent replication of this specific variant is described in the provided material. The authors explicitly note that 'theoretical development and generalization of the concept of ratios are warranted,' indicating the methodology and its individual discoveries - including this variant - should be considered preliminary. The large sample size and systematic design are strengths, but the absence of published per-variant effect sizes and independent replication limits confidence in this specific finding.

Lifestyle considerations No lifestyle considerations on file for this variant.