the lead SNP for WHR in our study is identical to the SNP displaying the strongest T2D association in an expanded T2D meta-analysis40. Given evidence that ADAMTS9 T2D-risk alleles are associated with insulin resistance in peripheral tissues41, these findings are consistent with a primary effect of ADAMTS9 variants on body fat distribution. At the chromosome 6 locus, VEGFA is the most apparent biological candidate, given the presumed role of VEGFA as a mediator of adipogenesis42 and evidence that serum levels of VEGFA are correlated with obesity43,44. Finally, at the TBX15-WARS2 locus, TBX15 emerges as the strongest candidate based on the cis-eQTL data in omental fat, marked depot-specific differences in adipose tissue expression in mice and humans, and associations between TBX15 expression in visceral fat and WHR45,46.
