Decoding causal genes and programs from regulatory variants in aortic valve disease
Aortic valve disease is common, yet its regulatory mechanisms remain poorly understood. We performed multi-omic profiling of human aortic valve interstitial cells (HAVICs), identifying 11,891 allele-specific chromatin accessibility QTLs (as-caQTLs), 48% novel to this cell type. These variants were enriched in active enhancers, disrupted transcription factor (TF) motifs, particularly AP-1, TEAD and GATA families, and were validated by allele-specific TF binding assays. A fine-tuned deep DNA sequence model prioritized common and rare variants at risk loci predicted to impact chromatin accessibility. Single-cell CRISPRi perturbation of 247 variants identified cis-target genes at 55 as-caQTL elements, including loci without eQTLs. We demonstrate that common regulatory variants controlling elastin and fibrillin impact the development of the aortic valve apparatus. We provide genetic evidence and a mechanistic framework for the contribution of a reduced aortic root size to CAVD risk. Perturbations identified core cell programs led by upstream regulators AHNAK, PDIA6, and RNFT1 converging on extracellular matrix production and iron transport.