rs11893707 (MIR3681HG): Height-Associated Variant

Key takeaways

• rs11893707 sits within the MIR3681HG locus and was identified among 12,111 common variants significantly associated with adult human height
• The discovery came from a genome-wide study of 5.4 million people across 281 studies, one of the largest genetic studies of any human trait
• Common height-related variants collectively explain roughly 40-45% of height variation in European-ancestry populations, approaching the theoretical ceiling for common variants
• Individual variants contribute small effects; height is a highly polygenic trait shaped by thousands of genetic contributors
• Prediction accuracy for height from common variants is substantially lower in non-European ancestry populations (approximately 10-24%), an area requiring further research

What the research says rs11893707 was identified as one of 12,111 independent SNPs (single-nucleotide polymorphisms, which are single-letter differences in the DNA sequence) significantly associated with adult height in a meta-analysis of 5,380,080 individuals from 281 studies. The associated variants cluster within 7,209 non-overlapping genomic segments averaging approximately 90 kilobases (units of DNA length) in size, collectively covering about 21% of the genome. Together, these 12,111 variants account for nearly all of the common SNP-based heritability of height, which is estimated at 40-50% of total phenotypic variation.

Reported associations

• Adult height: rs11893707 is one of 12,111 independent SNPs significantly associated with adult human height in a study of up to 5,380,080 individuals from diverse ancestries, including participants of predominantly European (75.8% of the total sample), East Asian (8.8%), Hispanic (8.5%), African (5.5%), and South Asian (1.4%) ancestry groups

Evidence quality The height association for this variant derives from the largest genome-wide association study ever performed for any human trait, with data from 5,380,080 individuals across 281 studies. Prediction from all 12,111 significant SNPs together accounts for 40% of phenotypic variance in European-ancestry populations; using the broader HapMap 3 SNP panel raises this to 45%. In non-European populations, prediction accuracy is substantially lower (10-24%), which the study authors attribute to differences in linkage disequilibrium (the tendency for nearby genetic variants to be inherited together) and allele frequency across ancestry groups. No specific p-value or individual effect size for rs11893707 alone is reported in the provided study text. The authors report that effect sizes, associated regions, and gene prioritization are broadly consistent across ancestries, suggesting the reduced prediction accuracy in non-European populations is a statistical limitation rather than a biological divergence.

Lifestyle considerations No lifestyle considerations on file for this variant.