Opposite gene by environment interactions in Karelia for CD14 and CC16 single nucleotide polymorphisms and allergy.

BACKGROUND: Finnish Karelians have a higher prevalence of allergic disease than Russian Karelians. As both populations are generally from the same ethnic group, the Karelian population offers a unique opportunity to analyse genetic and allergic disease interactions between 'Western' and 'Eastern' environments. OBJECTIVES: We investigated associations between allergic diseases and CD14 and CC16 polymorphisms in Finnish vs Russian Karelian women. METHODS: Adult female Karelians (330 Finnish and 274 Russian) were recruited, examined for a range of symptoms and conditions including rhinitis, itchy rash, asthma and atopy and genotyped for CD14 C-159T and CC16 A38G. RESULTS: For both CD14 C-159T and CC16 A38G, the risk allele for atopic phenotypes in Finnish Karelia was the protective allele in Russian Karelia. For CD14 C-159T, an interactive effect on ever itchy rash (P(interaction) = 0.004), itchy rash <12 mo (P(interaction) = 0.001) and dry cough at night in the past 12 months (<12 months) (P(interaction) = 0.011) was found; the risk allele was C in Russians and T in Finns. For CC16 A38G, an interaction was significant for ever rhinitis (P(interaction) = 0.006), rhinitis <12 mo (P(interaction) = 0.004), and marginally significant for ever hayfever (P(interaction) = 0.07), allergic eye symptoms <12 mo (P(interaction) = 0.09); their risk allele was G in Russians and A in Finns. CONCLUSION: An Eastern vs Western environment appears to exert an effect via opposite alleles on risk of allergic diseases in adult women.

A disparity in the association of asthma, rhinitis, and eczema with allergen-specific IgE between Finnish and Russian Karelia.

BACKGROUND: A substantial variation in the association of asthma, rhinitis and eczema with elevated serum allergen-specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE) levels between different populations has been reported. Here, we wanted to clarify whether these proportions are different in Finnish and Russian Karelia, and compared the ability of questionnaires, skin prick tests (SPT) and sIgE measurements to detect atopic conditions in these adjacent areas with different living conditions. METHODS: Randomly selected schoolchildren, aged 6-16 years, and their mothers from Finland (n = 344 children, 344 mothers) and Russia (427 and 284 respectively) participated. SPTs and sIgE measurements to common inhalant and food allergens were performed. The occurrence of asthma, rhinitis, eczema and related symptoms was assessed with an International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood-based questionnaire. Correlation between SPT and sIgE was estimated using the Spearman correlation coefficient. RESULTS: The rate of positive sIgE results was significantly higher in Finland among both mothers and children. Seventy-seven per cent of Finnish children and 43% of Russian children with asthma were sIgE positive. The respective figures for hay fever were 94% and 67%, and for eczema 68% and 41%. This discrepancy was similar but of lower magnitude among mothers. The overall occurrence of asthma, rhinitis and eczema was very low in Russian Karelia. The correlation between SPT and sIgE results was generally good. CONCLUSION: Asthma, rhinitis and eczema in Russian Karelia are not only rare but also, to a large extent, have no sIgE component. Therefore, the ability of questionnaires to detect sIgE-mediated atopic conditions in this area of Russia is poor.

Bipolar disorder susceptibility region on Xq24-q27.1 in Finnish families.

Bipolar disorder (BPD) is a common disorder characterized by episodes of mania, hypomania and depression. The genetic background of BPD remains undefined, although several putative loci predisposing to BPD have been identified. We have earlier reported significant evidence of linkage for BPD to chromosome Xq24-q27.1 in an extended pedigree from the late settlement region of the genetically isolated population of Finland. Further, we established a distinct chromosomal haplotype covering a 19 cM region on Xq24-q27.1 co-segregating with the disorder. Here, we have further analyzed this X-chromosomal region using a denser marker map and monitored X-chromosomal haplotypes in a study sample of 41 Finnish bipolar families. Only a fraction of the families provided any evidence of linkage to this region, suggesting that a relatively rare gene predisposing to BPD is enriched in this linked pedigree. The genome-wide scan for BPD predisposing loci in this large pedigree indicated that this particular X-chromosomal region provides the best evidence of linkage genome-wide, suggesting an X-chromosomal gene with a major role for the genetic predisposition of BPD in this family.

Seasonal affective disorder and serotonin-related polymorphisms.

Disturbances in central serotonergic systems have been hypothesized to be involved in seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Association between SAD and the shorter allele of the serotonin transporter promoter repeat length polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) has been reported in an American sample. We have genotyped 82 SAD patients and 82 healthy controls from Sweden, Finland, and Germany for this and five other polymorphisms in the genes coding for serotonin receptors 5-HT2A and 5-HT2C, tryptophan hydroxylase and white. No associations with SAD or seasonality (seasonal variations in mood and behavior) were detected. Although minor effects cannot be excluded, our results suggest that these polymorphisms do not play a major role in the pathogenesis of SAD in the northern European population.

Loss-of-function mutations in TYROBP (DAP12) result in a presenile dementia with bone cysts.

Polycystic lipomembranous osteodysplasia with sclerosing leukoencephalopathy (PLOSL; MIM 221770), also known as Nasu-Hakola disease, is a recessively inherited disease characterized by a combination of psychotic symptoms rapidly progressing to presenile dementia and bone cysts restricted to wrists and ankles. PLOSL has a global distribution, although most of the patients have been diagnosed in Finland and Japan, with an estimated population prevalence of 2x10-6 (ref. 2) in the Finns. We have previously identified a shared 153-kb ancestor haplotype in all Finnish disease alleles between markers D19S1175 and D19S608 on chromosome 19q13.1 (refs 5,6). Here we characterize the molecular defect in PLOSL by identifying one large deletion in all Finnish PLOSL alleles and another mutation in a Japanese patient, both representing loss-of-function mutations, in the gene encoding TYRO protein tyrosine kinase binding protein (TYROBP; formerly DAP12). TYROBP is a transmembrane protein that has been recognized as a key activating signal transduction element in natural killer (NK) cells. On the plasma membrane of NK cells, TYROBP associates with activating receptors recognizing major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules. No abnormalities in NK cell function were detected in PLOSL patients homozygous for a null allele of TYROBP.

Fine-scale mapping of a novel dementia gene, PLOSL, by linkage disequilibrium.

Polycystic lipomembranous osteodysplasia with sclerosing leukoencephalopathy (PLOSL; MIM 221770) is a rare hereditary cause of presenile dementia with autosomal recessive inheritance. Its unique feature is the cystic bone lesions that accompany the dementia. About 160 cases have been reported to date, mostly in Finland and Japan. The etiology and pathogenesis of PLOSL are unknown. We recently assigned the locus for PLOSL in the Finnish population to chromosome 19q13.1 (P. Pekkarinen et al., 1998, Am. J. Hum. Genet. 62, 362-272). In the present study, we restrict the critical region for PLOSL to 153 kb by linkage-disequilibrium mapping. First, three new microsatellite markers were revealed in the PLOSL critical region. These and three other markers spanning the critical region were analyzed in Finnish PLOSL families. Strong linkage disequilibrium (multipoint P value < 10(-47)) was detected between the markers and PLOSL, and for two markers, D19S1176 and D19S610, all the PLOSL chromosomes shared identical 171- and 218-bp alleles, respectively. Haplotype analysis revealed five different haplotypes in the Finnish PLOSL chromosomes. But all of them shared the region between markers D19S1175 and D19S608 that could be traced to one ancestor haplotype by single recombination events, thus defining the critical region as 153 kb. Multipoint association analysis also assigned the most likely location of the PLOSL locus within this interval to the immediate vicinity of marker D19S610. A promising positional candidate for PLOSL, an amyloid precursor-like protein, was studied by sequencing, but no mutations were detected. These results lay the basis for the cloning of this novel dementia gene and for diagnostics in the Finnish population using haplotype analysis.

A meta-analysis and transmission disequilibrium study of association between the dopamine D3 receptor gene and schizophrenia.

We performed a meta-analysis of over 30 case-control studies of association between schizophrenia and a bi-allelic, Bali polymorphism in exon 1 of the dopamine D3 receptor gene. We observed a significant excess of both forms of homozygote in patients (P = 0.0009, odds ratio (OR) = 1.21, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) = 1.07-1.35) in the combined sample of 5351 individuals. No significant heterogeneity was detected between samples and the effects did not appear to be the product of publishing bias. In addition we undertook an independent, family-based association study of this polymorphism in 57 parent/proband trios, taken from unrelated European multiplex families segregating schizophrenia. A transmission disequilibrium test (TDT) showed a significant excess of homozygotes in schizophrenic patients (P = 0.004, odds ratio (OR) = 2.7, 95% CI = 1.35-5.86). Although no significant allelic association was observed, a significant association was detected with the 1-1 genotype alone (P = 0.02, OR = 2.32, 95% CI = 1.13-4.99). In addition when the results of the family-based association study were included in the meta-analysis, the homozygosity effect increased in significance (P = 0.0002, OR = 1.23, 95% CI = 1.09-1.38). The results of the meta-analysis and family-based association study provide independent support for a relationship between schizophrenia and homozygosity at the Bali polymorphism of the D3 receptor gene, or between a locus in linkage disequilibrium with it.

Assignment of the locus for PLO-SL, a frontal-lobe dementia with bone cysts, to 19q13.

PLO-SL (polycystic lipomembranous osteodysplasia with sclerosing leukoencephalopathy) is a recessively inherited disorder characterized by systemic bone cysts and progressive presenile frontal-lobe dementia, resulting in death at <50 years of age. Since the 1960s, approximately 160 cases have been reported, mainly in Japan and Finland. The pathogenesis of the disease is unknown. In this article, we report the assignment of the locus for PLO-SL, by random genome screening using a modification of the haplotype-sharing method, in patients from a genetically isolated population. By screening five patient samples from 2 Finnish families, followed by linkage analysis of 12 Finnish families, 3 Swedish families, and 1 Norwegian family, we were able to assign the PLO-SL locus to a 9-cM interval between markers D19S191 and D19S420 on chromosome 19q13. The critical region was further restricted, to approximately 1.8 Mb, by linkage-disequilibrium analysis of the Finnish families. According to the haplotype analysis, one Swedish and one Norwegian PLO-SL family are not linked to the chromosome 19 locus, suggesting that PLO-SL is a heterogeneous disease. In this chromosomal region, one potential candidate gene for PLO-SL, the gene encoding amyloid precursor-like protein 1, was analyzed, but no mutations were detected in the coding region.

Molecular genetics of bipolar disorder.

Bipolar (BP) disorder is a severe mood disorder affecting about 1% of the population. Even though the traditional twin, family, and adoption studies have demonstrated that it is highly heritable, the specific vulnerability genes have so far escaped identification. The early years of molecular genetic studies in BP disorder were hampered by the complexities in the inheritance and phenotype of BP disorder, the poor marker maps and the low informativeness of DNA markers available at that time. The new developments in molecular genetics and statistical analysis methods for complex disorders have provided researchers with better tools to cope with these difficulties. During the past few years, several potential susceptibility loci have been reported in chromosomes 18, 21 and X, and the possible role of trinucleotide repeat expansions in the aetiology of BP disorder has been developed. It seems that the molecular genetics of BP disorder are entering a new era of rapid developments.

Messages from an isolate: lessons from the Finnish gene pool.

Genetic isolates are the result of some type of bottleneck in the history of a population, revealing the consequences of the founder effect and genetic drift on the population's gene pool. In human populations, isolation is suspected based on an exceptional geographic location or cultural history or on the prevalence of relatively rare genetic diseases. The concept of 'Finnish disease heritage' is well established in the literature, but solid data have only recently emerged regarding the uniformity of disease mutations at the molecular level in this population: for many Finnish diseases for which the molecular defect has been uncovered, over 90% of disease alleles carry the same causative mutation. This suggests dramatic isolation, especially in some subregions of the sparsely populated country. In Finland, this molecular information can be combined with the exceptional genealogical data offered by a well established church record system which dates back to 1640, containing detailed information on births, deaths, marriages and movements of the majority of the population. This provides excellent opportunities for special study designs for the identification not only of rare disease genes but also of major loci which contribute to complex diseases. The utilization of linkage disequilibrium and the search for shared haplotypes can be justified in subpopulations and patient materials from this genetic isolate. This review summarizes the current molecular evidence for genetic isolation as well as the utilization of some special strategies in the disease gene hunt in the Finnish population.

Evidence of a predisposing locus to bipolar disorder on Xq24-q27.1 in an extended Finnish pedigree.

An X-chromosomal predisposing locus to manic-depressive illness has been suggested since 1969 on the basis of the cosegregation of this trait in some families with phenotypic markers, such as color blindness, the glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, and the coagulation factor IX deficiency. However, the conclusive evidence and the exact location of the putative X-chromosomal locus have remained controversial. We report here a linkage between DNA markers near the coagulation factor IX gene and bipolar disorder in an extended pedigree rising from the genetically isolated population of Finland. A distinct chromosomal haplotype covering a 20-cM region on Xq24-q27.1 could be demonstrated to segregate with bipolar disorder. These findings should encourage research groups to study extended family materials with Xq24-q27.1 markers to finally resolve the question of the X-chromosomal linkage of bipolar disorder.

Linkage analysis in two schizophrenic families originating from a restricted subpopulation of Finland.

We report here linkage data on two families with multiple cases of schizophrenia originating from the genetically isolated population of Finland. We analyzed chromosomal DNA regions containing relevant candidate genes for schizophrenia and chromosomal regions which have been among the most widely studied in schizophrenia research due to associations between chromosomal anomalies and schizophrenia observed in certain families or populations. These include the chromosomal regions 5q11-q13, 11q and 15q21 as well as gene loci coding for components of dopamine, serotonin and amino acid transmitter pathways. No evidence for linkage to any of the chromosomal regions or candidate genes could be obtained, our data in fact suggested exclusion of all these regions as the site for major predisposing loci for schizophrenia in our families. On the 11p region the lod scores obtained deviated in the two families, but the difference remained statistically insignificant. The data emphasize the importance of analyzing families even with restricted genetic background separately since locus heterogeneity is likely to be detected not only between ethnic groups but also between diagnostic classes of the schizophrenia spectrum of diseases.