PLCG2-associated immune dysregulation (PLAID) comprises broad and distinct clinical presentations related to functional classes of genetic variants.

BACKGROUND: Pathogenic variants of phospholipase C gamma 2 (PLCG2) cause 2 related forms of autosomal-dominant immune dysregulation (ID), PLCγ2-associated antibody deficiency and immune dysregulation (PLAID) and autoinflammatory PLAID (APLAID). Since describing these conditions, many PLCG2 variants of uncertain significance have been identified by clinical sequencing of patients with diverse features of ID. OBJECTIVE: We sought to functionally classify PLCG2 variants and explore known and novel genotype-function-phenotype relationships. METHODS: Clinical data from patients with PLCG2 variants were obtained via standardized questionnaire. PLCG2 variants were generated by mutagenesis of enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)-PLCG2 plasmid, which was overexpressed in Plcg2-deficient DT-40 B cells. B-cell receptor-induced calcium flux and extracellular signal-regulated kinase phosphorylation were assayed by flow cytometry. In some cases, stimulation-induced calcium flux was also measured in primary patient cells. RESULTS: Three-fourths of PLCG2 variants produced functional alteration of B-cell activation, in vitro. Thirteen variants led to gain of function (GOF); however, most functional variants defined a new class of PLCG2 mutation, monoallelic loss of function (LOF). Susceptibility to infection and autoinflammation were common with both GOF and LOF variants, whereas a new phenotypic cluster consisting of humoral immune deficiency, autoinflammation, susceptibility to herpesvirus infection, and natural killer cell dysfunction was observed in association with multiple heterozygous LOF variants detected in both familial and sporadic cases. In some cases, PLCG2 variants produced greater effects in natural killer cells than in B cells. CONCLUSIONS: This work expands the genotypic and phenotypic associations with functional variation in PLCG2, including a novel form of ID in carriers of heterozygous loss of PLCG2 function. It also demonstrates the need for more diverse assays for assessing the impact of PLCG2 variants on human disease.

Severe delayed hypersensitivity reactions to IL-1 and IL-6 inhibitors link to common HLA-DRB1*15 alleles.

OBJECTIVES: Drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) is a severe, delayed hypersensitivity reaction (DHR). We observed DRESS to inhibitors of interleukin 1 (IL-1) or IL-6 in a small group of patients with Still's disease with atypical lung disease. We sought to characterise features of patients with Still's disease with DRESS compared with drug-tolerant Still's controls. We analysed human leucocyte antigen (HLA) alleles for association to inhibitor-related DHR, including in a small Kawasaki disease (KD) cohort. METHODS: In a case/control study, we collected a multicentre series of patients with Still's disease with features of inhibitor-related DRESS (n=66) and drug-tolerant Still's controls (n=65). We retrospectively analysed clinical data from all Still's subjects and typed 94/131 for HLA. European Still's-DRESS cases were ancestry matched to International Childhood Arthritis Genetics Consortium paediatric Still's cases (n=550) and compared for HLA allele frequencies. HLA association also was analysed using Still's-DRESS cases (n=64) compared with drug-tolerant Still's controls (n=30). KD subjects (n=19) were similarly studied. RESULTS: Still's-DRESS features included eosinophilia (89%), AST-ALT elevation (75%) and non-evanescent rash (95%; 88% involving face). Macrophage activation syndrome during treatment was frequent in Still's-DRESS (64%) versus drug-tolerant Still's (3%; p=1.2×10-14). We found striking enrichment for HLA-DRB1*15 haplotypes in Still's-DRESS cases versus INCHARGE Still's controls (p=7.5×10-13) and versus self-identified, ancestry-matched Still's controls (p=6.3×10-10). In the KD cohort, DRB1*15:01 was present only in those with suspected anakinra reactions. CONCLUSIONS: DRESS-type reactions occur among patients treated with IL-1/IL-6 inhibitors and strongly associate with common HLA-DRB1*15 haplotypes. Consideration of preprescription HLA typing and vigilance for serious reactions to these drugs are warranted.

Elevated serum gasdermin D N-terminal implicates monocyte and macrophage pyroptosis in adult-onset Still's disease.

OBJECTIVES: Elevation of serum IL-18 in adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) and systemic JIA (sJIA) suggests the role of the inflammasome in these diseases. Gasdermin D is a pore-forming protein playing central roles in inflammasome-mediated inflammation, but its role in rheumatic disease is unknown. We aimed to elucidate the auto-inflammatory mechanisms in AOSD and sJIA. METHODS: Patients with AOSD, sJIA, hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) and Behçet's disease followed at Yokohama City University (YCU), or US National Institutes of Health (NIH) were included in the study. Disease activity was evaluated by the modified Pouchot score. Ferritin and N-terminal gasdermin D levels in serum and culture supernatant were measured by ELISA. Primary monocytes (Mo) were stimulated with GM-CSF or M-CSF and differentiated into M1 macrophages (Mφ) or M2Mφ, respectively. The number of Mo/Mφ and their viability were monitored over time. RESULTS: Patients with active AOSD and sJIA had increased levels of serum gasdermin D N-terminal, which correlated with serum ferritin and IL-18 levels. Mo-derived Mφ from active AOSD patients showed reduced cell viability and increased cell death. The number of cultured Mφ cells on day nine was negatively correlated with the serum ferritin and gasdermin D levels. Higher ferritin and gasdermin D levels were observed in the M1Mφ culture supernatant of active AOSD patients. Gasdermin D inhibitors reduced the pyroptosis-mediated ferritin release in Mo. CONCLUSION: Elevation of serum gasdermin D N-terminal provides evidence for inflammasome activation triggering gasdermin D-mediated Mo and Mφ pyroptosis in AOSD and possibly sJIA.

Clinical characteristics and comorbidities in adult-onset Still's disease using a large US administrative claims database.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to describe clinical characteristics, treatment patterns and major comorbidities of a US-based adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) cohort. METHODS: Administrative claims data from Truven MarketScan were collected from 2009 to 2015. An AOSD case was defined as ≥1 M06.1 International Classification of Diseases 10th revision (ICD-10) medical claim code. We extracted data for the AOSD cohort (n = 106) and 1:5 matched controls (n = 530) without AOSD. Outcomes of interest and a novel claims-based set of Yamaguchi criteria were identified by relevant ICD 9th revision (ICD-9) and ICD-10 codes. Bivariate descriptive analyses were conducted on all variables. Comorbidity rates and rate ratios were calculated in AOSD cases and matched controls. Statistical significance of cohort differences was determined to compare AOSD cases and matched controls. RESULTS: The AOSD cohort, with a mean age of 43.08 (standard deviation, s.d. 13.9) years and with female predominance (68.9%) was observed over a mean of 750.12 (637.6) days. A total of 35.9% of AOSD patients fulfilled claims-based Yamaguchi criteria compared with 0.4% matched controls (P< 0.05). We identified severe AOSD-related complications, including macrophage activation syndrome (4.7%) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (12.3%). Treatment commonly involved systemic glucocorticoids (62.2%), MTX (51%) and anakinra (24.5%). Compared with matched controls, serious infections were significantly increased (rate ratio 2.58, 95% CI: 1.53, 4.37, P = 0.0004), while hyperlipidaemia (0.54, 95% CI: 0.35, 0.85; P = 0.008) and obesity (0.30, 95% CI: 0.15, 0.62; P = 0.001) were significantly decreased in AOSD patients. CONCLUSION: We characterized a first US-based AOSD cohort using a large national administrative claims database, and identified key complications, treatments and comorbidities.

Using genes to triangulate the pathophysiology of granulomatous autoinflammatory disease: NOD2, PLCG2 and LACC1.

The intersection of granulomatosis and autoinflammatory disease is a rare occurrence that can be generally subdivided into purely granulomatous phenotypes and disease spectra that are inclusive of granulomatous features. NOD2 (nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-containing protein 2)-related disease, which includes Blau syndrome and early-onset sarcoidosis, is the prototypic example of granulomatous inflammation in the context of monogenic autoinflammation. Granulomatous inflammation has also been observed in two related autoinflammatory diseases caused by mutations in PLCG2 (phospholipase Cγ2). More recently, mutations in LACC1 (laccase domain-containing protein 1) have been identified as the cause of a monogenic form of systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis, which does not itself manifest granulomatous inflammation, but the same LACC1 mutations have also been shown to cause an early-onset, familial form of a well-known granulomatous condition, Crohn's disease (CD). Rare genetic variants of PLCG2 have also been shown to cause a monogenic form of CD, and moreover common variants of all three of these genes have been implicated in polygenic forms of CD. Additionally, common variants of NOD2 and LACC1 have been implicated in susceptibility to leprosy, a granulomatous infection. Although no specific mechanistic link exists between these three genes, they form an intriguing web of susceptibility to both monogenic and polygenic autoinflammatory and granulomatous phenotypes.

HLA-DRB1*11 and variants of the MHC class II locus are strong risk factors for systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

Systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA) is an often severe, potentially life-threatening childhood inflammatory disease, the pathophysiology of which is poorly understood. To determine whether genetic variation within the MHC locus on chromosome 6 influences sJIA susceptibility, we performed an association study of 982 children with sJIA and 8,010 healthy control subjects from nine countries. Using meta-analysis of directly observed and imputed SNP genotypes and imputed classic HLA types, we identified the MHC locus as a bona fide susceptibility locus with effects on sJIA risk that transcended geographically defined strata. The strongest sJIA-associated SNP, rs151043342 [P = 2.8 × 10(-17), odds ratio (OR) 2.6 (2.1, 3.3)], was part of a cluster of 482 sJIA-associated SNPs that spanned a 400-kb region and included the class II HLA region. Conditional analysis controlling for the effect of rs151043342 found that rs12722051 independently influenced sJIA risk [P = 1.0 × 10(-5), OR 0.7 (0.6, 0.8)]. Meta-analysis of imputed classic HLA-type associations in six study populations of Western European ancestry revealed that HLA-DRB1*11 and its defining amino acid residue, glutamate 58, were strongly associated with sJIA [P = 2.7 × 10(-16), OR 2.3 (1.9, 2.8)], as was the HLA-DRB1*11-HLA-DQA1*05-HLA-DQB1*03 haplotype [6.4 × 10(-17), OR 2.3 (1.9, 2.9)]. By examining the MHC locus in the largest collection of sJIA patients assembled to date, this study solidifies the relationship between the class II HLA region and sJIA, implicating adaptive immune molecules in the pathogenesis of sJIA.

Genetic architecture distinguishes systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis from other forms of juvenile idiopathic arthritis: clinical and therapeutic implications.

OBJECTIVES: Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a heterogeneous group of conditions unified by the presence of chronic childhood arthritis without an identifiable cause. Systemic JIA (sJIA) is a rare form of JIA characterised by systemic inflammation. sJIA is distinguished from other forms of JIA by unique clinical features and treatment responses that are similar to autoinflammatory diseases. However, approximately half of children with sJIA develop destructive, long-standing arthritis that appears similar to other forms of JIA. Using genomic approaches, we sought to gain novel insights into the pathophysiology of sJIA and its relationship with other forms of JIA. METHODS: We performed a genome-wide association study of 770 children with sJIA collected in nine countries by the International Childhood Arthritis Genetics Consortium. Single nucleotide polymorphisms were tested for association with sJIA. Weighted genetic risk scores were used to compare the genetic architecture of sJIA with other JIA subtypes. RESULTS: The major histocompatibility complex locus and a locus on chromosome 1 each showed association with sJIA exceeding the threshold for genome-wide significance, while 23 other novel loci were suggestive of association with sJIA. Using a combination of genetic and statistical approaches, we found no evidence of shared genetic architecture between sJIA and other common JIA subtypes. CONCLUSIONS: The lack of shared genetic risk factors between sJIA and other JIA subtypes supports the hypothesis that sJIA is a unique disease process and argues for a different classification framework. Research to improve sJIA therapy should target its unique genetics and specific pathophysiological pathways.

Behçet disease-associated MHC class I residues implicate antigen binding and regulation of cell-mediated cytotoxicity.

The HLA protein, HLA-B*51, encoded by HLA-B in MHC, is the strongest known genetic risk factor for Behçet disease (BD). Associations between BD and other factors within the MHC have been reported also, although strong regional linkage disequilibrium complicates their confident disentanglement from HLA-B*51. In the current study, we examined a combination of directly obtained and imputed MHC-region SNPs, directly obtained HLA-B locus types, and imputed classical HLA types with their corresponding polymorphic amino acid residues for association with BD in 1,190 cases and 1,257 controls. SNP mapping with logistic regression of the MHC identified the HLA-B/MICA region and the region between HLA-F and HLA-A as independently associated with BD (P < 1.7 × 10(-8)). HLA-B*51, -A*03, -B*15, -B*27, -B*49, -B*57, and -A*26 each contributed independently to BD risk. We directly examined rs116799036, a noncoding SNP upstream of HLA-B that was recently suggested to underlie the association of HLA-B*51 with BD, but we were unable to replicate that finding in our collection. Instead, we mapped the BD association to seven MHC class I (MHC-I) amino acid residues, including anchor residues that critically define the selection and binding of peptides to MHC-I molecules, residues known to influence MHC-I-killer immunoglobulin-like receptor interactions, and a residue located in the signal peptide of HLA-B. The locations of these variants collectively implicate MHC-I peptide binding in the pathophysiology of BD. Furthermore, several lines of evidence suggest a role for altered regulation of cellular cytotoxicity in BD pathogenesis.

A single endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase-1 protein allotype is a strong risk factor for Behçet's disease in HLA-B*51 carriers.

INTRODUCTION: Endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase-1 (ERAP1) protein is highly polymorphic with numerous missense amino acid variants. We sought to determine the naturally occurring ERAP1 protein allotypes and their contribution to Behçet's disease. METHODS: Genotypes of all reported missense ERAP1 gene variants with 1000 Genomes Project EUR superpopulation frequency >1% were determined in 1900 Behçet's disease cases and 1779 controls from Turkey. ERAP1 protein allotypes and their contributions to Behçet's disease risk were determined by haplotype identification and disease association analyses. RESULTS: One ERAP1 protein allotype with five non-ancestral amino acids was recessively associated with disease (p=3.13×10-6, OR 2.55, 95% CI 1.70 to 3.82). The ERAP1 association was absent in individuals who lacked HLA-B*51. Individuals who carry HLA-B*51 and who are also homozygous for the haplotype had an increased disease odds compared with those with neither risk factor (p=4.80×10-20, OR 10.96, 95% CI 5.91 to 20.32). DISCUSSION: The Behçet's disease-associated ERAP1 protein allotype was previously shown to have poor peptide trimming activity. Combined with its requirement for HLA-B*51, these data suggest that a hypoactive ERAP1 allotype contributes to Behçet's disease risk by altering the peptides available for binding to HLA-B*51.

Targeted resequencing implicates the familial Mediterranean fever gene MEFV and the toll-like receptor 4 gene TLR4 in Behçet disease.

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) are a powerful means of identifying genes with disease-associated common variants, but they are not well-suited to detecting genes with disease-associated rare and low-frequency variants. In the current study of Behçet disease (BD), nonsynonymous variants (NSVs) identified by deep exonic resequencing of 10 genes found by GWAS (IL10, IL23R, CCR1, STAT4, KLRK1, KLRC1, KLRC2, KLRC3, KLRC4, and ERAP1) and 11 genes selected for their role in innate immunity (IL1B, IL1R1, IL1RN, NLRP3, MEFV, TNFRSF1A, PSTPIP1, CASP1, PYCARD, NOD2, and TLR4) were evaluated for BD association. A differential distribution of the rare and low-frequency NSVs of a gene in 2,461 BD cases compared with 2,458 controls indicated their collective association with disease. By stringent criteria requiring at least a single burden test with study-wide significance and a corroborating test with at least nominal significance, rare and low-frequency NSVs in one GWAS-identified gene, IL23R (P = 6.9 × 10(-5)), and one gene involved in innate immunity, TLR4 (P = 8.0 × 10(-4)), were associated with BD. In addition, damaging or rare damaging NOD2 variants were nominally significant across all three burden tests applied (P = 0.0063-0.045). Furthermore, carriage of the familial Mediterranean fever gene (MEFV) mutation Met694Val, which is known to cause recessively inherited familial Mediterranean fever, conferred BD risk in the Turkish population (OR, 2.65; P = 1.8 × 10(-12)). The disease-associated NSVs in MEFV and TLR4 implicate innate immune and bacterial sensing mechanisms in BD pathogenesis.

A hypermorphic missense mutation in PLCG2, encoding phospholipase Cγ2, causes a dominantly inherited autoinflammatory disease with immunodeficiency.

Whole-exome sequencing was performed in a family affected by dominantly inherited inflammatory disease characterized by recurrent blistering skin lesions, bronchiolitis, arthralgia, ocular inflammation, enterocolitis, absence of autoantibodies, and mild immunodeficiency. Exome data from three samples, including the affected father and daughter and unaffected mother, were filtered for the exclusion of reported variants, along with benign variants, as determined by PolyPhen-2. A total of eight transcripts were identified as possible candidate genes. We confirmed a variant, c.2120C>A (p.Ser707Tyr), within PLCG2 as the only de novo variant that was present in two affected family members and not present in four unaffected members. PLCG2 encodes phospholipase Cγ2 (PLCγ2), an enzyme with a critical regulatory role in various immune and inflammatory pathways. The p.Ser707Tyr substitution is located in an autoinhibitory SH2 domain that is crucial for PLCγ2 activation. Overexpression of the altered p.Ser707Tyr protein and ex vivo experiments using affected individuals' leukocytes showed clearly enhanced PLCγ2 activity, suggesting increased intracellular signaling in the PLCγ2-mediated pathway. Recently, our laboratory identified in individuals with cold-induced urticaria and immune dysregulation PLCG2 exon-skipping mutations resulting in protein products with constitutive phospholipase activity but with reduced intracellular signaling at physiological temperatures. In contrast, the p.Ser707Tyr substitution in PLCγ2 causes a distinct inflammatory phenotype that is not provoked by cold temperatures and that has different end-organ involvement and increased intracellular signaling at physiological temperatures. Our results highlight the utility of exome-sequencing technology in finding causal mutations in nuclear families with dominantly inherited traits otherwise intractable by linkage analysis.

Endoplasmic reticulum-associated amino-peptidase 1 and rheumatic disease: genetics.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This article will review the genetic evidence implicating ERAP1, which encodes the endoplasmic reticulum-associated amino-peptidase 1, in susceptibility to rheumatic disease. RECENT FINDINGS: Genetic variants and haplotypes of ERAP1 are associated with AS, psoriasis, and Behçet's disease in people of varying ancestries. In each of these diseases, disease-associated variants of ERAP1 have been shown to interact with disease-associated class I human leukocyte antigen alleles to influence disease risk. Functionally, disease-associated missense variants of ERAP1 concertedly alter ERAP1 enzymatic function, both quantitatively and qualitatively, whereas other disease-associated variants influence ERAP1 expression. Therefore, ERAP1 haplotypes (or allotypes) should be examined as functional units. Biologically, this amounts to an examination of the gene regulation and function of the protein encoded by each allotype. Genetically, the relationship between disease risk and ERAP1 allotypes should be examined to determine whether allotypes or individual variants produce the most parsimonious risk models. SUMMARY: Future investigations of ERAP1 should focus on comprehensively characterizing naturally occurring ERAP1 allotypes, examining the enzymatic function and gene expression of each allotype, and identifying specific allotypes that influence disease susceptibility.

Cold urticaria, immunodeficiency, and autoimmunity related to PLCG2 deletions.

BACKGROUND: Mendelian analysis of disorders of immune regulation can provide insight into molecular pathways associated with host defense and immune tolerance. METHODS: We identified three families with a dominantly inherited complex of cold-induced urticaria, antibody deficiency, and susceptibility to infection and autoimmunity. Immunophenotyping methods included flow cytometry, analysis of serum immunoglobulins and autoantibodies, lymphocyte stimulation, and enzymatic assays. Genetic studies included linkage analysis, targeted Sanger sequencing, and next-generation whole-genome sequencing. RESULTS: Cold urticaria occurred in all affected subjects. Other, variable manifestations included atopy, granulomatous rash, autoimmune thyroiditis, the presence of antinuclear antibodies, sinopulmonary infections, and common variable immunodeficiency. Levels of serum IgM and IgA and circulating natural killer cells and class-switched memory B cells were reduced. Linkage analysis showed a 7-Mb candidate interval on chromosome 16q in one family, overlapping by 3.5 Mb a disease-associated haplotype in a smaller family. This interval includes PLCG2, encoding phospholipase Cγ(2) (PLCγ(2)), a signaling molecule expressed in B cells, natural killer cells, and mast cells. Sequencing of complementary DNA revealed heterozygous transcripts lacking exon 19 in two families and lacking exons 20 through 22 in a third family. Genomic sequencing identified three distinct in-frame deletions that cosegregated with disease. These deletions, located within a region encoding an autoinhibitory domain, result in protein products with constitutive phospholipase activity. PLCG2-expressing cells had diminished cellular signaling at 37°C but enhanced signaling at subphysiologic temperatures. CONCLUSIONS: Genomic deletions in PLCG2 cause gain of PLCγ(2) function, leading to signaling abnormalities in multiple leukocyte subsets and a phenotype encompassing both excessive and deficient immune function. (Funded by the National Institutes of Health Intramural Research Programs and others.).

New discoveries in the genetics and genomics of systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

INTRODUCTION: Systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA) is a severe inflammatory condition with onset in childhood. It is sporadic, but elements of its stereotypical innate immune responses are likely genetically encoded by both common variants with small effect sizes and rare variants with larger effects. AREAS COVERED: Genomic investigations have defined the unique genetic architecture of sJIA. Identification of the class II HLA locus as the strongest sJIA risk factor for the first time brought attention to T lymphocytes and adaptive immune mechanisms in sJIA. The importance of the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) locus was reinforced by recognition that HLA-DRB1*15 alleles are strongly associated with development of drug reactions and sJIA-associated lung disease (sJIA-LD). At the IL1RN locus, genetic variation relates to both risk of sJIA and may also predict non-response to anakinra. Finally, rare genetic variants may have critical roles in disease complications, such as homozygous LACC1 mutations in families with an sJIA-like illness, and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) gene variants in some children with macrophage activation syndrome (MAS). EXPERT OPINION: Genetic and genomic analysis of sJIA holds great promise for both basic discovery of the course and complications of sJIA, and may help guide personalized medicine and therapeutic decision-making.

Splice site and de novo mutations can cause mixed dominant negative/gain of function PLCG2-associated immune dysregulation with cold urticaria (CU-PLAID).

Background: Phospholipase Cγ2 (PLCγ2) is an important signaling molecule that receives and transmits signals from various cell surface receptors in most hematopoietic lineages. Variants of PLCG2 cause PLCγ2-associated immune dysregulation (PLAID), a family of conditions that are classified by mutational effect. PLAID with cold urticaria (CU-PLAID) is caused by in-frame deletions of PLCG2 that are dominant negative at physiologic temperatures but become spontaneously active at sub-physiologic temperatures. Objective: To identify genetic lesions that cause PLAID by combining RNA sequencing of full-length PLCG2 with whole genome sequencing. Methods: We studied nine probands with antibody deficiency and a positive evaporative cooling test, together with two known CU-PLAID patients and three healthy subjects. Illumina sequencing was performed on full-length PLCG2 cDNA synthesized from peripheral blood mononuclear cell RNA and whole genome sequencing was used to identify genetic lesions. Novel alternate transcripts were overexpressed in the Plcg2-deficient DT40 cell overexpression system. ERK phosphorylation was quantified by flow cytometry with and without BCR crosslinking. Results: Two probands expressed novel alternative transcripts of PLCG2 with in-frame deletions. The first, expressing PLCG2 without exons 18-19, carried a splice site mutation in intron 19. The second, expressing PLCG2 without exons 19-22, carried a 14kb de novo deletion of PLCG2. DT40 cells overexpressing the exon 18-19 or exon 19-22 deletions failed to phosphorylate ERK in response to BCR crosslinking. Conclusion: In addition to autosomal dominant genomic deletions, de novo deletions and splice site mutations of PLCG2 can also cause CU-PLAID. All of these can be identified by cDNA-based sequencing.

Enrichment of Rare Variants of Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis Genes in Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether there is an enrichment of rare variants in familial hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH)-associated genes among patients with systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA) with or without macrophage activation syndrome (MAS). METHODS: Targeted sequencing of HLH genes (LYST, PRF1, RAB27A, STX11, STXBP2, UNC13D) was performed in sJIA subjects from an established cohort. Sequence data from control subjects were obtained in silico (dbGaP:phs000280.v8.p2). Rare variant association testing (RVT) was performed with sequence kernel association test (SKAT) package. Significance was defined as p < 0.05 after 100,000 permutations. RESULTS: Sequencing data from 524 sJIA cases were jointly called and harmonized with exome-derived target data from 3000 controls. Quality control operations produced a set of 480 cases and 2924 ancestrally-matched control subjects. RVT of cases and controls revealed a significant association with rare protein-altering variants (minor allele frequency [MAF] < 0.01) of STXBP2 (p = 0.020), and ultra-rare variants (MAF < 0.001) of STXBP2 (p = 0.006) and UNC13D (p = 0.046). A sub-analysis of 32 cases with known MAS and 90 without revealed a significant difference in the distribution of rare UNC13D variants (p = 0.0047) between the groups. Additionally, sJIA patients more often carried ≥ 2 HLH variants than did controls (p = 0.007), driven largely by digenic combinations involving LYST. CONCLUSION: We identified an enrichment of rare HLH variants in sJIA patients compared with controls, driven by STXBP2 and UNC13D. Biallelic variation in HLH genes was associated with sJIA, driven by LYST. Only UNC13D displayed enrichment in patients with MAS. This suggests that HLH variants may contribute to the pathophysiology of sJIA, even without MAS.

Enrichment of Rare Variants of Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis Genes in Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis.

Objective: To evaluate whether there is an enrichment of rare variants in familial hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) genes and systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA) with or without macrophage activation syndrome (MAS). Methods: Targeted sequencing of HLH genes (LYST, PRF1, RAB27A, STX11, STXBP2, UNC13D) was performed in sJIA subjects from an established cohort. Sequence data from control subjects were obtained in silico (dbGaP:phs000280.v8.p2). Rare variant association testing (RVT) was performed with sequence kernel association test (SKAT) package. Significance was defined as p<0.05 after 100,000 permutations. Results: Sequencing data from 524 sJIA cases were jointly called and harmonized with exome-derived target data from 3000 controls. Quality control operations produced a set of 481 cases and 2924 ancestrally-matched control subjects. RVT of sJIA cases and controls revealed a significant association with rare protein-altering variants (minor allele frequency [MAF]<0.01) of STXBP2 (p=0.020), and ultra-rare variants (MAF<0.001) of STXBP2 (p=0.007) and UNC13D (p=0.045). A subanalysis of 32 cases with known MAS and 90 without revealed significant association of rare UNC13D variants (p=0.0047). Additionally, sJIA patients more often carried ≥2 HLH variants than did controls (p=0.007), driven largely by digenic combinations involving LYST. Conclusion: We identified an enrichment of rare HLH variants in sJIA patients compared with healthy controls, driven by STXBP2 and UNC13D. Biallelic variation in HLH genes was associated with sJIA, driven by LYST. Only UNC13D displayed enrichment in patients with MAS. This suggests that HLH variants may contribute to the pathophysiology of sJIA, even without MAS.

A Cysteine Variant at an Allosteric Site Alters MIF Dynamics and Biological Function in Homo- and Heterotrimeric Assemblies.

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is an inflammatory protein with various non-overlapping functions. It is not only conserved in mammals, but it is found in parasites, fish, and plants. Human MIF is a homotrimer with an enzymatic cavity between two subunits with Pro1 as a catalytic base, activates the receptors CD74, CXCR2, and CXCR4, has functional interactions in the cytosol, and is reported to be a nuclease. There is a solvent channel down its 3-fold axis with a recently identified gating residue as an allosteric site important for regulating, to different extents, the enzymatic activity and CD74 binding and signaling. In this study we explore the consequence of converting the allosteric residue Tyr99 to cysteine (Y99C) and characterize its crystallographic structure, NMR dynamics, stability, CD74 function, and enzymatic activity. In addition to the homotrimeric variant, we develop strategies for expressing and purifying a heterotrimeric variant consisting of mixed wild type and Y99C for characterization of the allosteric site to provide more insight.