Fine-mapping reveals four TMEM106B haplotypes associated with neurodegenerative risk and preserved cognition at extreme age

Abstract

Genetic variation at the TMEM106B locus has been associated with Alzheimers disease (AD) and related neurodegenerative phenotypes, yet its haplotypic architecture remains incompletely resolved. We refined the genetic landscape of TMEM106B by integrating AD-GWAS summary statistics ([~]978K individuals) with haplotype analyses in 5,873 Dutch genomes including AD-cases, age-matched controls, and cognitively healthy centenarians. In addition to the known linkage disequilibrium (LD) block defining risk and protective haplotypes characterized by the amino acid substitution at residue 185 (Threonine/Serine), we identify a second conditionally independent LD block. Together these form four haplotypes (T1-T4), with T3 strongly enriched in centenarians. Long-read whole-genome sequencing in 493 individuals reveals haplotype-linked structural variation and methylation patterns, including a [~]19 Kbp genomic rearrangement carried by T3. These findings indicate that the TMEM106B locus comprises multiple haplotypes defined by methylation patterns and structural variants, offering insights into GWAS associations with AD risk and preserved cognition at extreme age.