Polygenic Scores for Adult Testosterone and SHBG Levels Are Associated With Reproductive Hormone Levels in Male Infants

Abstract

Context: The hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis's transient activity in infancy, i.e, minipuberty, is considered crucial for male reproductive function. Historically, minipuberty has been considered a passive response triggered by the withdrawal of placental steroids at birth. However, given its potential link to adult reproductive function, we hypothesize that minipuberty is a partially genetically regulated process, suggesting a link between the genetic architecture of reproductive hormone concentrations across lifespan.

Objective: To investigate the association of UK Biobank Study-based polygenic scores (PGS) of adult total testosterone (T) and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) concentrations with trajectories of reproductive hormones concentrations in male infants.

Design: Prospective, longitudinal birth cohort (The COPENHAGEN Minipuberty Study, 2016-2018, ClinTrial: NCT02784184). Individual PGSs in male infants derived from published literature were calculated for total T and SHBG. The associations with mean SD scores (SDS) of reproductive hormone concentrations in infancy were tested.

Setting: Population-based.

Patients or other participants: Healthy, male, term, singleton newborns were followed with repeated clinical examinations including blood sampling during a 1-year follow-up (n = 109).

Main outcome measures: Circulating reproductive hormone concentrations.

Results: T-PGSadult were significant associated with mean T-SDSinfancy, mean SHBG-SDSinfancy, and mean LH-SDSinfancy (P = .02, <.001 and .03, with r2 = 0.05, 0.21 and 0.04, respectively). SHBG-PGSadult was significantly associated with mean SHBG-SDSinfancy (P < .001, r2 = 0.18). T-PGSadult explained 5% and 21% of the phenotypic variation in infancy of mean T-SDSinfancy and SHBG-SDSinfancy, respectively.

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the genetic architecture underlying total T and SHBG in adults also associates with hormone concentrations and their trajectories during infancy.

Keywords: hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis; male; minipuberty; polygenic score; reproduction.