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Association of the IRF5 risk haplotype with high serum interferon-alpha activity in systemic lupus erythematosus patients.

ABSTRACT: A haplotype of the interferon regulatory factor 5 (IRF5) gene has been associated with the risk of developing systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and our previous studies have demonstrated that high levels of serum interferon-alpha (IFNalpha) activity are a heritable risk factor for SLE. The aim of this study was to determine whether the IRF5 SLE risk haplotype mediates the risk of SLE by predisposing patients to the development of high levels of serum IFNalpha activity.IFNalpha levels in 199 SLE patients of European and Hispanic ancestry were measured with a sensitive functional reporter cell assay. The rs2004640, rs3807306, rs10488631, and rs2280714 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in IRF5 were genotyped in these patients. Haplotypes were categorized as SLE risk, neutral, or protective based on published data.SLE patients with risk/risk and risk/neutral IRF5 genotypes had higher serum IFNalpha activity than did those with protective/protective and neutral/protective genotypes (P = 0.025). This differential effect of IRF5 genotype on serum IFNalpha levels was driven largely by SLE patients who were positive for either anti-RNA binding protein (anti-RBP) or anti-double-stranded DNA (anti-dsDNA) autoantibodies (P = 0.012 for risk/risk or risk/neutral versus protective/protective or neutral/protective). The rs3807306 genotype was independently associated with high serum IFNalpha in this autoantibody group. We found no difference in IFNalpha activity according to IRF5 genotype in patients lacking either type of autoantibody or in patients positive for both classes of autoantibody.The IRF5 SLE risk haplotype is associated with higher serum IFNalpha activity in SLE patients, and this effect is most prominent in patients positive for either anti-RBP or anti-dsDNA autoantibodies. This study demonstrates the biologic relevance of the SLE risk haplotype of IRF5 at the protein level.

SUBMITTER: Niewold TB

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2621107 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Association of the IRF5 risk haplotype with high serum interferon-alpha activity in systemic lupus erythematosus patients.

Niewold Timothy B TB Kelly Jennifer A JA Flesch Marie H MH Espinoza Luis R LR Harley John B JB Crow Mary K MK

Arthritis and rheumatism 20080801 8

<h4>Objective</h4>A haplotype of the interferon regulatory factor 5 (IRF5) gene has been associated with the risk of developing systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and our previous studies have demonstrated that high levels of serum interferon-alpha (IFNalpha) activity are a heritable risk factor for SLE. The aim of this study was to determine whether the IRF5 SLE risk haplotype mediates the risk of SLE by predisposing patients to the development of high levels of serum IFNalpha activity.<h4>Met ...[more]

PMID: 18668568

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Project description:OBJECTIVE:High serum interferon ? (IFN?) activity is a heritable risk factor for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Auto-antibodies found in SLE form immune complexes which can stimulate IFN? production by activating endosomal Toll-like receptors and interferon regulatory factors (IRFs), including IRF5. Genetic variation in IRF5 is associated with SLE susceptibility; however, it is unclear how IRF5 functional genetic elements contribute to human disease. METHODS:1034 patients with SLE and 989 controls of European ancestry, 555 patients with SLE and 679 controls of African-American ancestry, and 73 patients with SLE of South African ancestry were genotyped at IRF5 polymorphisms, which define major haplotypes. Serum IFN? activity was measured using a functional assay. RESULTS:In European ancestry subjects, anti-double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) and anti-Ro antibodies were each associated with different haplotypes characterised by a different combination of functional genetic elements (OR>2.56, p<1.9×10(-14) for both). These IRF5 haplotype-auto-antibody associations strongly predicted higher serum IFN? in patients with SLE and explained >70% of the genetic risk of SLE due to IRF5. In African-American patients with SLE a similar relationship between serology and IFN? was observed, although the previously described European ancestry-risk haplotype was present at admixture proportions in African-American subjects and absent in African patients with SLE. CONCLUSIONS:The authors define a novel risk haplotype of IRF5 that is associated with anti-dsDNA antibodies and show that risk of SLE due to IRF5 genotype is largely dependent upon particular auto-antibodies. This suggests that auto-antibodies are directly pathogenic in human SLE, resulting in increased IFN? in cooperation with particular combinations of IRF5 functional genetic elements. SLE is a systemic autoimmune disorder affecting multiple organ systems including the skin, musculoskeletal, renal and haematopoietic systems. Humoral autoimmunity is a hallmark of SLE, and patients frequently have circulating auto-antibodies directed against dsDNA, as well as RNA binding proteins (RBP). Anti-RBP autoantibodies include antibodies which recognize Ro, La, Smith (anti-Sm), and ribonucleoprotein (anti-nRNP), collectively referred to as anti-retinol-binding protein). Anti-retinol-binding protein and anti-dsDNA auto-antibodies are rare in the healthy population. These auto-antibodies can be present in sera for years preceding the onset of clinical SLE illness and are likely pathogenic in SLE.

Project description:Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a fibrotic autoimmune disease in which the genetic component plays an important role. One of the strongest SSc association signals outside the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) region corresponds to interferon (IFN) regulatory factor 5 (IRF5), a major regulator of the type I IFN pathway. In this study we aimed to evaluate whether three different haplotypic blocks within this locus, which have been shown to alter the protein function influencing systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) susceptibility, are involved in SSc susceptibility and clinical phenotypes. For that purpose, we genotyped one representative single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of each block (rs10488631, rs2004640, and rs4728142) in a total of 3,361 SSc patients and 4,012 unaffected controls of Caucasian origin from Spain, Germany, The Netherlands, Italy and United Kingdom. A meta-analysis of the allele frequencies was performed to analyse the overall effect of these IRF5 genetic variants on SSc. Allelic combination and dependency tests were also carried out. The three SNPs showed strong associations with the global disease (rs4728142: P ?=?1.34×10(-8), OR ?=?1.22, CI 95% ?=?1.14-1.30; rs2004640: P ?=?4.60×10(-7), OR ?=?0.84, CI 95% ?=?0.78-0.90; rs10488631: P ?=?7.53×10(-20), OR ?=?1.63, CI 95% ?=?1.47-1.81). However, the association of rs2004640 with SSc was not independent of rs4728142 (conditioned P ?=?0.598). The haplotype containing the risk alleles (rs4728142*A-rs2004640*T-rs10488631*C: P ?=?9.04×10(-22), OR ?=?1.75, CI 95% ?=?1.56-1.97) better explained the observed association (likelihood P-value ?=?1.48×10(-4)), suggesting an additive effect of the three haplotypic blocks. No statistical significance was observed in the comparisons amongst SSc patients with and without the main clinical characteristics. Our data clearly indicate that the SLE risk haplotype also influences SSc predisposition, and that this association is not sub-phenotype-specific.

Dataset Information

Association of the IRF5 risk haplotype with high serum interferon-alpha activity in systemic lupus erythematosus patients.

Publications

Association of the IRF5 risk haplotype with high serum interferon-alpha activity in systemic lupus erythematosus patients.

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