Meta-analysis of shared genetic architecture across ten pediatric autoimmune diseases

YR Li, J Li, SD Zhao, JP Bradfield, FD Mentch… - Nature medicine, 2015 - nature.com
YR Li, J Li, SD Zhao, JP Bradfield, FD Mentch, SM Maggadottir, C Hou, DJ Abrams, D Chang…
Nature medicine, 2015nature.com
Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified hundreds of susceptibility
genes, including shared associations across clinically distinct autoimmune diseases. We
performed an inverse χ2 meta-analysis across ten pediatric-age-of-onset autoimmune
diseases (pAIDs) in a case-control study including more than 6,035 cases and 10,718
shared population-based controls. We identified 27 genome-wide significant loci associated
with one or more pAIDs, mapping to in silico–replicated autoimmune-associated genes …
Abstract
Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified hundreds of susceptibility genes, including shared associations across clinically distinct autoimmune diseases. We performed an inverse χ2 meta-analysis across ten pediatric-age-of-onset autoimmune diseases (pAIDs) in a case-control study including more than 6,035 cases and 10,718 shared population-based controls. We identified 27 genome-wide significant loci associated with one or more pAIDs, mapping to in silico–replicated autoimmune-associated genes (including IL2RA) and new candidate loci with established immunoregulatory functions such as ADGRL2, TENM3, ANKRD30A, ADCY7 and CD40LG. The pAID-associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were functionally enriched for deoxyribonuclease (DNase)-hypersensitivity sites, expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs), microRNA (miRNA)-binding sites and coding variants. We also identified biologically correlated, pAID-associated candidate gene sets on the basis of immune cell expression profiling and found evidence of genetic sharing. Network and protein-interaction analyses demonstrated converging roles for the signaling pathways of type 1, 2 and 17 helper T cells (TH1, TH2 and TH17), JAK-STAT, interferon and interleukin in multiple autoimmune diseases.
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