Meta analysis identifies a novel susceptibility locus associated with heel bone strength in the Korean population

In the combined meta-analysis (n = 9,158), we identified a novel variant associated with SOS (rs2445771 in the GLDN gene, P = 2.27 × 10− 9) reaching genome-wide significance in the Korean population. We further demonstrated that allele-specific regulatory modifications found to be associated with functional enrichments by ENCODE annotations. Conclusion: Our findings could provide additional insights into understanding of genetic and epigenetic regulations on bone metabolism.