Miranda C. Marion

Genome-wide association scan in women with systemic lupus erythematosus identifies susceptibility variants in ITGAM , PXK , KIAA1542 and other loci

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a common systemic autoimmune disease with complex etiology but strong clustering in families (λS = ∼30). We performed a genome-wide association scan using 317,501 SNPs in 720 women of European ancestry with SLE and in 2,337 controls, and we genotyped consistently associated SNPs in two additional independent sample sets totaling 1,846 affected women and 1,825 controls. Aside from the expected strong association between SLE and the HLA region on chromosome 6p21 and the previously confirmed non-HLA locus IRF5 on chromosome 7q32, we found evidence of association with replication (1.1 × 10−7 < Poverall < 1.6 × 10−23; odds ratio = 0.82–1.62) in four regions: 16p11.2 (ITGAM), 11p15.5 (KIAA1542), 3p14.3 (PXK) and 1q25.1 (rs10798269). We also found evidence for association (P < 1 × 10−5) at FCGR2A, PTPN22 and STAT4, regions previously associated with SLE and other autoimmune diseases, as well as at ⩾9 other loci (P < 2 × 10−7). Our results show that numerous genes, some with known immune-related functions, predispose to SLE.

Dense genotyping of immune-related disease regions identifies 14 new susceptibility loci for juvenile idiopathic arthritis

We used the Immunochip array to analyze 2,816 individuals with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), comprising the most common subtypes (oligoarticular and rheumatoid factor–negative polyarticular JIA), and 13,056 controls. We confirmed association of 3 known JIA risk loci (the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) region, PTPN22 and PTPN2) and identified 14 loci reaching genome-wide significance (P < 5 × 10−8) for the first time. Eleven additional new regions showed suggestive evidence of association with JIA (P < 1 × 10−6). Dense mapping of loci along with bioinformatics analysis refined the associations to one gene in each of eight regions, highlighting crucial pathways, including the interleukin (IL)-2 pathway, in JIA disease pathogenesis. The entire Immunochip content, the HLA region and the top 27 loci (P < 1 × 10−6) explain an estimated 18, 13 and 6% of the risk of JIA, respectively. In summary, this is the largest collection of JIA cases investigated so far and provides new insight into the genetic basis of this childhood autoimmune disease.

Association of genetic variants in complement factor H and factor H-related genes with systemic lupus erythematosus susceptibility

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a complex polygenic autoimmune disease, is associated with increased complement activation. Variants of genes encoding complement regulator factor H (CFH) and five CFH-related proteins (CFHR1-CFHR5) within the chromosome 1q32 locus linked to SLE, have been associated with multiple human diseases and may contribute to dysregulated complement activation predisposing to SLE. We assessed 60 SNPs covering the CFH-CFHRs region for association with SLE in 15,864 case-control subjects derived from four ethnic groups. Significant allelic associations with SLE were detected in European Americans (EA) and African Americans (AA), which could be attributed to an intronic CFH SNP (rs6677604, in intron 11, P meta = 6.6×10−8, OR = 1.18) and an intergenic SNP between CFHR1 and CFHR4 (rs16840639, P meta = 2.9×10−7, OR = 1.17) rather than to previously identified disease-associated CFH exonic SNPs, including I62V, Y402H, A474A, and D936E. In addition, allelic association of rs6677604 with SLE was subsequently confirmed in Asians (AS). Haplotype analysis revealed that the underlying causal variant, tagged by rs6677604 and rs16840639, was localized to a ∼146 kb block extending from intron 9 of CFH to downstream of CFHR1. Within this block, the deletion of CFHR3 and CFHR1 (CFHR3-1Δ), a likely causal variant measured using multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification, was tagged by rs6677604 in EA and AS and rs16840639 in AA, respectively. Deduced from genotypic associations of tag SNPs in EA, AA, and AS, homozygous deletion of CFHR3-1Δ (P meta = 3.2×10−7, OR = 1.47) conferred a higher risk of SLE than heterozygous deletion (P meta = 3.5×10−4, OR = 1.14). These results suggested that the CFHR3-1Δ deletion within the SLE-associated block, but not the previously described exonic SNPs of CFH, might contribute to the development of SLE in EA, AA, and AS, providing new insights into the role of complement regulators in the pathogenesis of SLE.

Interferon regulatory factor-5 is genetically associated with systemic lupus erythematosus in African Americans

Increased expression of interferon (IFN)-inducible genes is implicated in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). One transcription factor responsible for regulating IFN, interferon regulatory factor-5 (IRF5), has been associated with SLE in genetic studies of Asian, Caucasian and Hispanic populations. We genotyped up to seven polymorphic loci in or near IRF5 in a total of 4870 African-American and Caucasian subjects (1829 SLE sporadic cases and 3041 controls) from two independent studies. Population-based case–control comparisons were performed using the Pearsons χ2-test statistics and haplotypes were inferred using HaploView. We observed significant novel associations with the IRF5 variants rs2004640 and rs3807306 in African Americans and replicated previously reported associations in Caucasians. While we identified risk haplotypes, the majority of haplotypic effects were accounted for by one SNP (rs3807306) in conditional analyses. We conclude that genetic variants of IRF5 associate with SLE in multiple populations, providing evidence that IRF5 is likely to be a crucial component in SLE pathogenesis among multiple ethnic groups.

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis and HLA Class I and Class II interactions and age-at-onset effects

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to quantitate risk and to examine heterogeneity for HLA at high resolution in patients with the most common subtypes of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), IgM rheumatoid factor-negative polyarticular JIA and oligoarticular JIA. Use of 4-digit comprehensive HLA typing enabled great precision, and a large cohort allowed for consideration of both age at disease onset and disease subtype. METHODS Polymerase chain reaction-based high-resolution HLA typing for class I and class II loci was accomplished for 820 patients with JIA and 273 control subjects. Specific HLA epitopes, potential interactions of alleles at specific loci and between loci (accounting for linkage disequilibrium and haplotypic associations), and an assessment of the current International League of Associations for Rheumatology classification criteria were considered. RESULTS An HLA-DRB1/DQB1 effect was shown to be exclusively attributable to DRB1 and was similar between patients with oligoarticular JIA and a younger subgroup of patients with polyarticular JIA. Furthermore, patients with polyarticular JIA showed age-specific related effects, with disease susceptibility in the group older than age 6 years limited to an effect of the HLA-DRB1*08 haplotype, which is markedly different from the additional susceptibility haplotypes, HLA-DRB1*1103/1104, found in the group with oligoarticular JIA and the group of younger patients with polyarticular JIA. Also in contrast to findings for oligoarticular JIA, patients with polyarticular arthritis had no evidence of an HLA class I effect. Markers associated with a reduced risk of disease included DRB1*1501, DRB1*0401, and DRB1*0701. DRB1*1501 was shown to reduce risk across the whole cohort, whereas DRB1*0401 and DRB1*0701 were protective for selected JIA subtypes. Surprisingly, the disease predisposition mediated by DPB1*0201 in individuals without any disease-predisposing DRB1 alleles was great enough to overcome even the very strong protective effect observed for DRB1*1501. CONCLUSION Inherited HLA factors in JIA show similarities overall as well as differences between JIA subtypes.

Genetic associations of LYN with systemic lupus erythematosus.

We targeted LYN, a src-tyosine kinase involved in B-cell activation, in case–control association studies using populations of European-American, African-American and Korean subjects. Our combined European-derived population, consisting of 2463 independent cases and 3131 unrelated controls, shows significant association with rs6983130 in a female-only analysis with 2254 cases and 2228 controls (P=1.1 × 10−4, odds ratio (OR)=0.81 (95% confidence interval: 0.73–0.90)). This single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) is located in the 5′ untranslated region within the first intron near the transcription initiation site of LYN. In addition, SNPs upstream of the first exon also show weak and sporadic association in subsets of the total European-American population. Multivariate logistic regression analysis implicates rs6983130 as a protective factor for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) susceptibility when anti-dsDNA, anti-chromatin, anti-52 kDa Ro or anti-Sm autoantibody status were used as covariates. Subset analysis of the European-American female cases by American College of Rheumatology classification criteria shows a reduction in the risk of hematological disorder with rs6983130 compared with cases without hematological disorders (P=1.5 × 10−3, OR=0.75 (95% CI: 0.62−0.89)). None of the 90 SNPs tested show significant association with SLE in the African American or Korean populations. These results support an association of LYN with European-derived individuals with SLE, especially within autoantibody or clinical subsets.

Morphometric analysis of arteriolar tortuosity in human cerebral white matter of preterm, young, and aged subjects

Arteriolar tortuousities, consisting of vascular coils, loops, and spirals, appear in white matter in a subset of human cerebral vessels. Computerized morphometry was used to analyze brain sections from a broad age range of subjects to determine whether tortuosity is a phenomenon of aging or is associated with leukoaraiosis (LA) or Alzheimer disease (AD). Autopsy brains were studied from 55 subjects ranging in age from 23 weeks postconception to 102 years. Fourteen aged subjects were diagnosed with LA and 7 with AD. By using computerized morphometry, vascular curl (curvilinear length/straight length) was measured in white matter arterioles in 100-&mgr;m-thick, alkaline phosphatase-stained sections. Aging subjects, compared with young subjects, showed significant increases in both the prevalence and severity of tortuosity. Curl scores in aged subjects with LA or AD were not significantly different from aged controls without LA or AD. We conclude that 1) tortuous vessels are extremely rare in preterm babies, children, or young adults; 2) significant tortuosity, as indicated by elevated curl scores, begins in middle age; 3) tortuosity does not appear in a subset of aged individuals regardless of longevity; and 4) tortuosity does not appear in a subset of individuals with either LA or AD.

Fine mapping of Xq28: both MECP2 and IRAK1 contribute to risk for systemic lupus erythematosus in multiple ancestral groups

Objectives The Xq28 region containing IRAK1 and MECP2 has been identified as a risk locus for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in previous genetic association studies. However, due to the strong linkage disequilibrium between IRAK1 and MECP2, it remains unclear which gene is affected by the underlying causal variant(s) conferring risk of SLE. Methods We fine-mapped ≥136 SNPs in a ∼227 kb region on Xq28, containing IRAK1, MECP2 and seven adjacent genes (L1CAM, AVPR2, ARHGAP4, NAA10, RENBP, HCFC1 and TMEM187), for association with SLE in 15 783 case-control subjects derived from four different ancestral groups. Results Multiple SNPs showed strong association with SLE in European Americans, Asians and Hispanics at p<5×10−8 with consistent association in subjects with African ancestry. Of these, six SNPs located in the TMEM187-IRAK1-MECP2 region captured the underlying causal variant(s) residing in a common risk haplotype shared by all four ancestral groups. Among them, rs1059702 best explained the Xq28 association signals in conditional testings and exhibited the strongest p value in transancestral meta-analysis (pmeta = 1.3×10−27, OR=1.43), and thus was considered to be the most likely causal variant. The risk allele of rs1059702 results in the amino acid substitution S196F in IRAK1 and had previously been shown to increase NF-κB activity in vitro. We also found that the homozygous risk genotype of rs1059702 was associated with lower mRNA levels of MECP2, but not IRAK1, in SLE patients (p=0.0012) and healthy controls (p=0.0064). Conclusions These data suggest contributions of both IRAK1 and MECP2 to SLE susceptibility.

Impact of genetic ancestry and sociodemographic status on the clinical expression of systemic lupus erythematosus in American Indian-European populations.

OBJECTIVE American Indian-Europeans, Asians, and African Americans have an excess morbidity from systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and a higher prevalence of lupus nephritis than do Caucasians. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between genetic ancestry and sociodemographic characteristics and clinical features in a large cohort of American Indian-European SLE patients. METHODS A total of 2,116 SLE patients of American Indian-European origin and 4,001 SLE patients of European descent for whom we had clinical data were included in the study. Genotyping of 253 continental ancestry-informative markers was performed on the Illumina platform. Structure and Admixture software were used to determine genetic ancestry proportions of each individual. Logistic regression was used to test the association between genetic ancestry and sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). RESULTS The average American Indian genetic ancestry of 2,116 SLE patients was 40.7%. American Indian genetic ancestry conferred increased risks of renal involvement (P < 0.0001, OR 3.50 [95% CI 2.63- 4.63]) and early age at onset (P < 0.0001). American Indian ancestry protected against photosensitivity (P < 0.0001, OR 0.58 [95% CI 0.44-0.76]), oral ulcers (P < 0.0001, OR 0.55 [95% CI 0.42-0.72]), and serositis (P < 0.0001, OR 0.56 [95% CI 0.41-0.75]) after adjustment for age, sex, and age at onset. However, age and sex had stronger effects than genetic ancestry on malar rash, discoid rash, arthritis, and neurologic involvement. CONCLUSION In general, American Indian genetic ancestry correlates with lower sociodemographic status and increases the risk of developing renal involvement and SLE at an earlier age.

Identification of candidate loci at 6p21 and 21q22 in a genome-wide association study of cardiac manifestations of neonatal lupus.

OBJECTIVE Cardiac manifestations of neonatal lupus, comprising atrioventricular conduction defects and cardiomyopathy, occur in fetuses exposed to anti-Ro/SSA antibodies, and carry substantial mortality. There is strong evidence of a genetic contribution to the risk. This study was undertaken to evaluate single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for associations with cardiac neonatal lupus. METHODS Children of European ancestry with cardiac neonatal lupus (n = 116) were genotyped using the Illumina 370K SNP platform and merged with 3,351 controls. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for association with cardiac neonatal lupus were determined. RESULTS The 17 most significant associations with cardiac neonatal lupus were found in the HLA region. The region near the MICB gene showed the strongest variant (rs3099844; P(dom) = 4.52 × 10(-10) , OR 3.34 [95% CI 2.29-4.89]), followed by a missense variant within C6orf10 (rs7775397; P(dom) = 1.35 × 10(-9) , OR 3.30), which lies between NOTCH4 and BTNL2, and several SNPs near the tumor necrosis factor α gene, including rs2857595 (P(add) = 1.96 × 10(-9) , OR 2.37), rs2230365 (P(add) = 1.00 × 10(-3) , OR 0.46), and rs3128982 (P(add) = 6.40 × 10(-6) , OR 1.86). Outside the HLA region, an association was detected at 21q22, upstream of the transcription regulator ets-related isoform 1 (rs743446; P = 5.45 × 10(-6) , OR 2.40). HLA notwithstanding, no individual locus previously implicated in autoimmune diseases achieved genome-wide significance. CONCLUSION These results suggest that variation near genes related to inflammatory and apoptotic responses may promote cardiac injury initiated by passively acquired autoantibodies.