The lupus family registry and repository.

The Lupus Family Registry and Repository (LFRR) was established with the goal of assembling and distributing materials and data from families with one or more living members diagnosed with SLE, in order to address SLE genetics. In the present article, we describe the problems and solutions of the registry design and biometric data gathering; the protocols implemented to guarantee data quality and protection of participant privacy and consent; and the establishment of a local and international network of collaborators. At the same time, we illustrate how the LFRR has enabled progress in lupus genetics research, answering old scientific questions while laying out new challenges in the elucidation of the biologic mechanisms that underlie disease pathogenesis. Trained staff ascertain SLE cases, unaffected family members and population-based controls, proceeding in compliance with the relevant laws and standards; participant consent and privacy are central to the LFRR's effort. Data, DNA, serum, plasma, peripheral blood and transformed B-cell lines are collected and stored, and subject to strict quality control and safety measures. Coded data and materials derived from the registry are available for approved scientific users. The LFRR has contributed to the discovery of most of the 37 genetic associations now known to contribute to lupus through 104 publications. The LFRR contains 2618 lupus cases from 1954 pedigrees that are being studied by 76 approved users and their collaborators. The registry includes difficult to obtain populations, such as multiplex pedigrees, minority patients and affected males, and constitutes the largest collection of lupus pedigrees in the world. The LFRR is a useful resource for the discovery and characterization of genetic associations in SLE.

Klinefelter's syndrome (47,XXY) among men with systemic lupus erythematosus.

AIM: To determine the rate of Klinefelter's syndrome among men with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and to determine whether the manifestations of SLE in these men are different from that seen in 46,XY men. METHODS: A total of 276 men with SLE underwent a real-time PCR procedure to screen for more than one X chromosome. Those with results consistent with two X chromosomes were further characterized by karyotype and FISH. Clinical manifestations of SLE were determined by interview, questionnaire and medical chart review. Each man with Klinefelter's and SLE was matched to four 46,XY men with SLE. Rates of SLE manifestations were compared with chi-square analyses. RESULTS: We found seven of the 286 men with SLE had Klinefelter's syndrome. Four of these seven were nonmosaic 47,XXY, while two were mosaic 46,XY/47,XXY and one was 46,XX/47,XXY. The men with 47,XXY did not have severe manifestations of SLE including no proliferative renal disease, neurological disease, thrombocytopenia, autoimmune haemolytic anaemia, discoid skin disease or anti-RNP/Sm. CONCLUSION: 47,XXY is found in excess among men with SLE. Men commonly have SLE that is more severe than that found among women, but the 47,XXY men had less severe SLE than other men.

HLA alleles and haplotypes among the Lakota Sioux: report of the ASHI minority workshops, part III.

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I and II alleles were defined for 302 Lakota Sioux American Indians as part of the American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics coordinated studies on minority populations. The study group was comprised of adult volunteers from the Cheyenne River and Ogala Sioux tribes residing, respectively, on the Cheyenne River and Pine Ridge Reservations in South Dakota. Of the participants, 263 (87%) claimed full American Indian ancestry through both maternal and paternal grandparents. The study group included 25 nuclear families that were informative for genotyping. HLA phenotypes from 202 adults with no other known first-degree relative included in the study were used for calculation of allele and haplotype frequencies by maximum likelihood estimation. HLA-A, -B, and -Cw alleles were found to be in Hardy Weinberg equilibrium. Deviation from equilibrium was observed for DRB1 alleles (p=0.01), but could be attributed to the sample size and the occurrence of some genotypes with low expected frequencies. Polymorphism among the Sioux was limited with four to seven alleles comprising >80% of those observed at each locus. Several alleles were found at high frequency (0.05-0.30) among the Sioux that are also prevalent in other Native Americans and Alaska Natives, including: A*2402, *3101, and *0206; B*3501,*3901, *5101, and *2705; Cw*0702, *0404, and *03041; DRB1*0407, *0404, *1402, and *16021; and DQB1*0301, *0302, and *0402. DRB1*0811, which has been only previously described in Navajo and Tlingit Indians, was found to occur at a frequency of 0.119 among the Sioux. Two new alleles were defined among the Sioux: Cw*0204 and DRB1*040703, which were found in two and four individuals, respectively. In the haplotype analyses, significant linkage disequilibrium (p<0.00001) was seen in all pairwise comparisons of loci and numerous two and three locus haplotypes were found to have strong, positive linkage disequilibrium values. The two most common extended haplotypes among the Sioux, determined by maximum likelihood estimation and genotyping were: A*31012, B*3501, Cw*0404, DRB1*0407; and A*24021, B*3501, Cw*0404, DRB1*0404.

Identification of unique microRNA signature associated with lupus nephritis.

MicroRNAs (miRNA) have emerged as an important new class of modulators of gene expression. In this study we investigated miRNA that are differentially expressed in lupus nephritis. Microarray technology was used to investigate differentially expressed miRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV)-transformed cell lines obtained from lupus nephritis affected patients and unaffected controls. TaqMan-based stem-loop real-time polymerase chain reaction was used for validation. Microarray analysis of miRNA expressed in both African American (AA) and European American (EA) derived lupus nephritis samples revealed 29 and 50 differentially expressed miRNA, respectively, of 850 tested. There were 18 miRNA that were differentially expressed in both racial groups. When samples from both racial groups and different specimen types were considered, there were 5 primary miRNA that were differentially expressed. We have identified 5 miRNA; hsa-miR-371-5P, hsa-miR-423-5P, hsa-miR-638, hsa-miR-1224-3P and hsa-miR-663 that were differentially expressed in lupus nephritis across different racial groups and all specimen types tested. Hsa-miR-371-5P, hsa-miR-1224-3P and hsa-miR-423-5P, are reported here for the first time to be associated with lupus nephritis. Our work establishes EBV-transformed B cell lines as a useful model for the discovery of miRNA as biomarkers for SLE. Based on these findings, we postulate that these differentially expressed miRNA may be potential novel biomarkers for SLE as well as help elucidate pathogenic mechanisms of lupus nephritis. The investigation of miRNA profiles in SLE may lead to the discovery and development of novel methods to diagnosis, treat and prevent SLE.

Heterozygosity or homozygosity for 2 HLA class II haplotypes predict favorable outcomes for renal cell carcinoma treated with cytokine therapy.

PURPOSE: Durable responses to cytokine therapy occur in a small subset of patients with renal cell carcinoma. We determined if a common HLA genotype existed among these patients which might be associated with response and survival. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study population consisted of 80 patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma who had received cytokine therapy. DNA obtained from these patients was used for high resolution typing of HLA A, B, C, DRB1, DQA1 and DQB1 alleles. RESULTS: The class II alleles from patients with prolonged disease-free survival were predominantly composed of haplotype DRB1*0301/DQA1*0501/DQB1*0201 and DRB1*1501/DQA1*0102/DQB1*0602. The frequency of heterozygosity or homozygosity for these alleles was significantly greater in the good outcome group of patients than in those whose disease progressed during therapy. Heterozygosity or homozygosity at these loci was also associated with significant prolongation of survival. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that heterozygosity or homozygosity for the class II haplotypes DRB1*0301/DQA1*0501/DQB1*0201 and DRB1*1501/DQA1*0102/DQB1*0602 is associated with durable response and survival in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma treated with cytokine therapy.