Dog leucocyte antigen (DLA) class II haplotypes and risk of canine diabetes mellitus in specific dog breeds.

BACKGROUND: Canine diabetes mellitus (DM) is a common endocrine disease in domestic dogs. A number of pathological mechanisms are thought to contribute to the aetiopathogenesis of relative or absolute insulin deficiency, including immune-mediated destruction of pancreatic beta cells. DM risk varies considerably between different dog breeds, suggesting that genetic factors are involved and contribute susceptibility or protection. Associations of particular dog leucocyte antigen (DLA) class II haplotypes with DM have been identified, but investigations to date have only considered all breeds pooled together. The aim of this study was to analyse an expanded data set so as to identify breed-specific diabetes-associated DLA haplotypes. METHODS: The 12 most highly represented breeds in the UK Canine Diabetes Register were selected for study. DLA-typing data from 646 diabetic dogs and 912 breed-matched non-diabetic controls were analysed to enable breed-specific analysis of the DLA. Dogs were genotyped for allelic variation at DLA-DRB1, -DQA1, -DQB1 loci using DNA sequence-based typing. Genotypes from all three loci were combined to reveal three-locus DLA class II haplotypes, which were evaluated for statistical associations with DM. This was performed for each breed individually and for all breeds pooled together. RESULTS: Five dog breeds were identified as having one or more DLA haplotype associated with DM susceptibility or protection. Four DM-associated haplotypes were identified in the Cocker Spaniel breed, of which one haplotype was shared with Border Terriers. In the three breeds known to be at highest risk of DM included in the study (Samoyed, Tibetan Terrier and Cairn Terrier), no DLA haplotypes were found to be associated with DM. CONCLUSIONS: Novel DLA associations with DM in specific dog breeds provide further evidence that immune response genes contribute susceptibility to this disease in some cases. It is also apparent that DLA may not be contributing obvious or strong risk for DM in some breeds, including the seven breeds analysed for which no associations were identified.

Genome-wide association study identifies HLA 8.1 ancestral haplotype alleles as major genetic risk factors for myositis phenotypes.

Autoimmune muscle diseases (myositis) comprise a group of complex phenotypes influenced by genetic and environmental factors. To identify genetic risk factors in patients of European ancestry, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of the major myositis phenotypes in a total of 1710 cases, which included 705 adult dermatomyositis, 473 juvenile dermatomyositis, 532 polymyositis and 202 adult dermatomyositis, juvenile dermatomyositis or polymyositis patients with anti-histidyl-tRNA synthetase (anti-Jo-1) autoantibodies, and compared them with 4724 controls. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms showing strong associations (P<5×10(-8)) in GWAS were identified in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) region for all myositis phenotypes together, as well as for the four clinical and autoantibody phenotypes studied separately. Imputation and regression analyses found that alleles comprising the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) 8.1 ancestral haplotype (AH8.1) defined essentially all the genetic risk in the phenotypes studied. Although the HLA DRB1*03:01 allele showed slightly stronger associations with adult and juvenile dermatomyositis, and HLA B*08:01 with polymyositis and anti-Jo-1 autoantibody-positive myositis, multiple alleles of AH8.1 were required for the full risk effects. Our findings establish that alleles of the AH8.1 comprise the primary genetic risk factors associated with the major myositis phenotypes in geographically diverse Caucasian populations.

Predicting cognitive ability in ageing cohorts using Type 2 diabetes genetic risk.

AIMS: To investigate whether there is overlap in the genetic determinants of Type 2 diabetes and cognitive ageing by testing whether a genetic risk score for Type 2 diabetes can predict variation in cognitive function in older people without dementia. METHODS: Type 2 diabetes genetic risk scores were estimated using various single nucleotide polymorphism significance inclusion criteria from an initial genome-wide association study, the largest in Type 2 diabetes to date. Scores were available for 2775-3057 individuals, depending on the cognitive trait. RESULTS: Type 2 diabetes genetic risk was associated with self-reported diabetes mellitus. Across varying single nucleotide polymorphism-inclusion levels, a significant association between Type 2 diabetes genetic risk and change in general cognitive function was found (median r = 0.04); however, this was such that higher Type 2 diabetes genetic risk related to higher cognitive scores. CONCLUSIONS: To investigate more fully the source of the often observed comorbidity between Type 2 diabetes and cognitive impairment, one direction for future research will be to use cognitive ability polygenic risk scores to predict Type 2 diabetes in line with the reverse causation hypothesis that people with lower pre-morbid cognitive ability are more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes.

IGF2 gene polymorphisms and IGF-II concentration are determinants of longitudinal weight trends in type 2 diabetes.

The hypothesis of the study was that IGF2 gene polymorphisms were associated with longitudinal trends in weight through modification of IGF-II concentration.Observational study that explored associations of the IGF2 gene and baseline circulating IGF-II concentration with 'real-world' longitudinal trends in body-mass index in a type 2 diabetes population.26 haplotype tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from the IGF2 and H19 genes were studied in 485 Caucasian individuals in the Salford Longitudinal Diabetes Cohort. A generalised-estimating equation (GEE) model was used to separately study the association of SNPs and IGF-II concentration with 8-year longitudinal trends in body-mass index.High serum IGF-II concentration at baseline was associated with weight loss over the study period (ß=-0.006, 95% CI -0.009 to -0.002, p<0.001). 8 SNPs were associated with longitudinal body-mass index trends, of which 4 retained significance after multiple -testing correction. 2 SNPs rs10770063 and rs3842767 were associated with both IGF-II concentration as well as longitudinal weight changes.We report novel associations between polymorphisms in the IGF2 gene, with concentration of circulating IGF-II and also with longitudinal weight change in type 2 diabetes. Our data indicate that the IGF2 gene and its gene product may be important determinants of longitudinal weight trends in type 2 diabetes.

Characteristics of epileptic episodes in UK dog breeds: an epidemiological approach.

In this study, previously unreported cohort characteristics and seizure patterns for canine epilepsy were identified from a series of UK-based epileptic dogs containing 1260 cases from 79 known pedigree breeds and a group of crossbreed dogs.

Risk of canine cranial cruciate ligament rupture is not associated with the major histocompatibility complex.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association of the major histocompatability (MHC) class II allele haplotype frequencies with the diagnosis of cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) rupture in two breeds of dog. METHODS: DNA samples from populations of Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers with CCL rupture and general populations of the same breeds were characterised for three DLA class II loci (DRB1*, DQA1* and DQB1*) alleles using sequence-based typing or reference strand-mediated conformation analysis. RESULTS: Although distinct differences in haplotype types, frequencies and homozygozity were observed between the two breeds, no disease specific association could be identified for the development of the CCL rupture within either population. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The risk for developing CCL rupture was not associated with DLA haplotype group(s) in Labrador Retrievers or Golden Retrievers, thus the hypothesis that there is an autoimmune basis to CCL rupture was not supported.

Major histocompatibility complex diversity in the endangered Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis).

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) influences immune response to infection and vaccination. In most species, MHC genes are highly polymorphic, but few wild canid populations have been investigated. In Ethiopian wolves, we identified four DLA (dog leucocyte antigen)-DRB1, two DLA-DQA1 and five DQB1 alleles. Ethiopian wolves, the world's rarest canids with fewer than 500 animals worldwide, are further endangered and threatened by rabies. Major rabies outbreaks in the Bale Mountains of southern Ethiopia (where over half of the Ethiopian wolf population is located) have killed over 75% of wolves in the affected sub-populations. In 2004, following a rabies outbreak, 77 wolves were vaccinated, and 19 were subsequently recaptured to monitor the effectiveness of the intervention. Pre- and post-vaccination rabies antibody titres were available for 18 animals, and all of the animals sero-converted after vaccination. We compared the haplotype frequencies of this group of 18 with the post-vaccination antibody titre, and showed that one haplotype was associated with a lower response (uncorrected P < 0.03). In general, Ethiopian wolves probably have an adequate amount of MHC variation to ensure the survival of the species. However, we sampled only the largest Ethiopian wolf population in Bale, and did not take the smaller populations further north into consideration.

Assessment of the functionality of genome-wide canine SNP arrays and implications for canine disease association studies.

Domestic dogs share a wide range of important disease conditions with humans, including cancers, diabetes and epilepsy. Many of these conditions have similar or identical underlying pathologies to their human counterparts and thus dogs represent physiologically relevant natural models of human disorders. Comparative genomic approaches whereby disease genes can be identified in dog diseases and then mapped onto the human genome are now recognized as a valid method and are increasing in popularity. The majority of dog breeds have been created over the past few hundred years and, as a consequence, the dog genome is characterized by extensive linkage disequilibrium (LD), extending usually from hundreds of kilobases to several megabases within a breed, rather than tens of kilobases observed in the human genome. Genome-wide canine SNP arrays have been developed, and increasing success of using these arrays to map disease loci in dogs is emerging. No equivalent of the human HapMap currently exists for different canine breeds, and the LD structure for such breeds is far less understood than for humans. This study is a dedicated large-scale assessment of the functionalities (LD and SNP tagging performance) of canine genome-wide SNP arrays in multiple domestic dog breeds. We have used genotype data from 18 breeds as well as wolves and coyotes genotyped by the Illumina 22K canine SNP array and Affymetrix 50K canine SNP array. As expected, high tagging performance was observed with most of the breeds using both Illumina and Affymetrix arrays when multi-marker tagging was applied. In contrast, however, large differences in population structure, LD coverage and pairwise tagging performance were found between breeds, suggesting that study designs should be carefully assessed for individual breeds before undertaking genome-wide association studies (GWAS).

Insights into the genetic architecture of osteoarthritis from stage 1 of the arcOGEN study.

OBJECTIVES: The genetic aetiology of osteoarthritis has not yet been elucidated. To enable a well-powered genome-wide association study (GWAS) for osteoarthritis, the authors have formed the arcOGEN Consortium, a UK-wide collaborative effort aiming to scan genome-wide over 7500 osteoarthritis cases in a two-stage genome-wide association scan. Here the authors report the findings of the stage 1 interim analysis. METHODS: The authors have performed a genome-wide association scan for knee and hip osteoarthritis in 3177 cases and 4894 population-based controls from the UK. Replication of promising signals was carried out in silico in five further scans (44,449 individuals), and de novo in 14 534 independent samples, all of European descent. RESULTS: None of the association signals the authors identified reach genome-wide levels of statistical significance, therefore stressing the need for corroboration in sample sets of a larger size. Application of analytical approaches to examine the allelic architecture of disease to the stage 1 genome-wide association scan data suggests that osteoarthritis is a highly polygenic disease with multiple risk variants conferring small effects. CONCLUSIONS: Identifying loci conferring susceptibility to osteoarthritis will require large-scale sample sizes and well-defined phenotypes to minimise heterogeneity.

Investigation of the interleukin-1 gene cluster polymorphisms in Jordanian patients with chronic and aggressive periodontitis.

OBJECTIVE: Interleukin-1 (IL-1) is a proinflammatory cytokine that is highly elevated in response to bacterial biofilms and is a potential risk factor for periodontal diseases. IL-1 gene polymorphisms have been associated with the IL-1 level. The aim of this study was to investigate if IL-1 gene cluster polymorphisms are associated with chronic (CP) and aggressive (AgP) periodontitis in a Jordanian population. METHODS: A total of 100 CP, 80 AgP patients and 80 controls were genotyped using PCR for IL-1RN-86-bp VNTR and PCR-RFLP for IL-1A-889, IL-1B-511, -35, +3953, and IL-1RN +8006, +9589, +11100 SNPs. The distribution of alleles and genotypes between groups was compared using χ(2) analysis. Estimation of haplotype frequencies was carried out using the EH programme. RESULTS: The IL-1RN8006 SNP and the IL-1RN-VNTR were associated with CP but not with AgP. The C allele and TC genotype of IL-1RN8006 were increased in CP (P(corr)=0.002, 0.00026 respectively). The A1 allele and A1/A1 genotype of the IL1-RN-VNTR were significantly increased in CP (P(corr)=0.0007, <0.0001 respectively). The CA1 haplotype formed by both markers was present in 29 CP patients but not in any of the controls (P<0.0001). No significant differences were found in the distribution of allele and genotype frequencies of the other markers between CP and AgP cases and controls. CONCLUSIONS: IL-1RN 8006 and IL-1RN VNTR were associated with CP but not AgP in a Jordanian population, whilst other investigated markers in IL-1A, IL-1B and IL-1RN were not associated with either CP or AgP.

CTLA4 promoter polymorphisms are associated with canine diabetes mellitus.

Canine diabetes mellitus (DM) shares many similarities with human type 1 diabetes (T1D). It is a complex genetic disorder, which shows marked differences in breed susceptibility, with Samoyed dogs being highly susceptible, whereas the Boxer breed is relatively resistant. A number of immune response genes, which have been associated with human T1D, have also been implicated in determining susceptibility to canine DM, suggesting an immune-mediated component to the disease pathogenesis. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the CTLA4 gene have consistently and reproducibly been associated with human T1D and other autoimmune diseases but the canine CTLA4 gene has not previously been investigated for involvement in canine DM. SNPs of particular interest in the human association studies are those in the promoter region which affect CTLA4 expression levels, and that of exon 1 which results in a non-synonymous amino acid change. We performed a canine SNP discovery investigation of CTLA4 on a region of DNA containing exon 1 and 1.5 kb upstream sequence in order to identify promoter region SNPs. Confirmed SNPs were used in a genetic association study of a canine diabetic cohort showing that CTLA4 promoter polymorphisms were associated with diabetes in crossbreed dogs and in five Pedigree breeds-Samoyed, Miniature Schnauzer, West Highland White Terrier, Border Terrier and Labrador. Meta-analysis of these breeds showed 9 out of 15 SNPs were associated with DM and genotype and haplotype analyses also confirmed the allelic associations in these breeds.

Association of HLA-DRB1* and keloid disease in an Afro-Caribbean population.

BACKGROUND: Keloid disease (KD) is a fibroproliferative dermal tumour of unknown aetiology. The high incidence of familial clustering in KD, its prevalence in certain races and its concordance in identical twins suggest a strong genetic predisposition to keloid formation. The highest incidence of keloids is found in black populations, where the incidence has been estimated to be up to 16%. The most polymorphic genetic system in vertebrates is the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) also known as the human leucocyte antigen (HLA) system. The MHC has been shown to be strongly associated with numerous conditions. Of particular relevance is the association of DR2 with dermal fibrotic diseases including sarcoidosis and systemic sclerosis. AIMS: To investigate the aetiology of KD and the potential involvement of the MHC. METHODS: We compared the HLA-DRB1 phenotype frequencies of Afro-Caribbean patients of Jamaican origin with keloid scars against those seen in a control population of the same ethnicity (n = 121; mean age 34.8 years, range 14-88). In total, 180 keloid cases of Afro-Caribbean origin, recruited from Kingston, Jamaica, were evaluated in the study (mean age 29.7 years, range 2-90 years). HLA-DRB1 alleles were determined in all participants using a semiautomated typing system of reverse hybridization PCR with sequence-specific oligonucleotide probes. HLA-DRB1* phenotype frequencies were established in the Jamaican Afro-Caribbean population and comparisons made between cases and controls. Furthermore, the influence of multiple vs. single lesions, patient gender and family history were also investigated. RESULTS: Differences were observed between the disease and control cohorts although none was significant. CONCLUSIONS: This study does not support an association between HLA-DRB1* alleles and susceptibility to keloid in people of Afro-Caribbean origin.

Autoantibodies to a 140-kd protein in juvenile dermatomyositis are associated with calcinosis.

OBJECTIVE: The identification of novel autoantibodies in juvenile dermatomyositis (DM) may have etiologic and clinical implications. The aim of this study was to describe autoantibodies to a 140-kd protein in children recruited to the Juvenile DM National Registry and Repository for UK and Ireland. METHODS: Clinical data and sera were collected from children with juvenile myositis. Sera that recognized a 140-kd protein by immunoprecipitation were identified. The identity of the p140 autoantigen was investigated by immunoprecipitation/immunodepletion, using commercial monoclonal antibodies to NXP-2, reference anti-p140, and anti-p155/140, the other autoantibody recently described in juvenile DM. DNA samples from 100 Caucasian children with myositis were genotyped for HLA class II haplotype associations and compared with those from 864 randomly selected UK Caucasian control subjects. RESULTS: Sera from 37 (23%) of 162 patients with juvenile myositis were positive for anti-p140 autoantibodies, which were detected exclusively in patients with juvenile DM and not in patients with juvenile DM-overlap syndrome or control subjects. No anti-p140 antibody-positive patients were positive for other recognized autoantibodies. Immunodepletion suggested that the identity of p140 was consistent with NXP-2 (the previously identified MJ autoantigen). In children with anti-p140 antibodies, the association with calcinosis was significant compared with the rest of the cohort (corrected P < 0.005, odds ratio 7.0, 95% confidence interval 3.0-16.1). The clinical features of patients with anti-p140 autoantibodies were different from those of children with anti-p155/140 autoantibodies. The presence of HLA-DRB1*08 was a possible risk factor for anti-p140 autoantibody positivity. CONCLUSION: This study has established that anti-p140 autoantibodies represent a major autoantibody subset in juvenile DM. This specificity may identify a further immunogenetic and clinical phenotype within the juvenile myositis spectrum that includes an association with calcinosis.

Association of canine anal furunculosis with TNFA is secondary to linkage disequilibrium with DLA-DRB1*.

Anal furunculosis (AF) is a chronic inflammatory disease of perianal tissues that particularly affects German Shepherd dogs (GSD). An immune-mediated aetiopathogenesis is suggested by T-cell infiltration, upregulated cytokine gene expression, clinical response to ciclosporin therapy and a strong genetic association with the DLA-DRB1*00101 allele. Given the close proximity of TNFA and DLA-DRB1 in the canine major histocompatibility complex (MHC), together with the strong linkage disequilibrium (LD) observed across this region, the primary disease association could be with either locus. We have investigated whether there may be an association of AF with TNFA gene polymorphism in GSDs. Cohorts of AF-affected and AF-unaffected GSDs of known dog leucocyte antigen (DLA) class II profile were genotyped for 10 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the canine TNFA locus using Sequenom iPLEX technology. Seven discrete TNFA haplotypes were identified in GSDs for combinations of these SNPs. TNFA haplotype frequencies were compared in cases and controls. The TNFA haplotype 3 (ATCGTTACGG), was at significantly increased frequency in cases (29% vs 15%, OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.4-4.8; P = 0.003). All seven discrete TNFA SNP haplotypes were examined for their association with DLA-DRB1/DQA1/DQB1 established haplotypes. TNFA haplotype 3 was preferentially associated with both DLA-DRB1*00101(3A)- and DLA-DRB1*00102(3B)-positive haplotypes. The DLA-DRB1* 00101/TNFA-3A haplotype was significantly associated with AF (19.3% vs 5.8%; OR 3.7, 95% CI: 1.5-8.9; P = 0.003), whereas the DLA-DRB1*00102/TNFA-3B haplotype was not (P = NS). These findings suggest that susceptibility to AF in GSDs is primarily associated with DLA-DRB1*00101 and any association with the TNFA locus is secondary and is likely to be because of LD.

Polymyalgia rheumatica can be distinguished from late onset rheumatoid arthritis at baseline: results of a 5-yr prospective study.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the pattern of arthropathy and HLA-DRB1 alleles associated with PMR in order to develop a diagnostic algorithm that could help distinguish PMR and RF-negative (RF -ve) late-onset RA (LO-RA) at presentation. METHODS: This was a prospective study of all patients presenting with PMR or LO-RA over a 10-yr period to one physician. Demographic, clinical and laboratory data were collected at presentation and during a minimum of 5 yrs of follow-up. The accuracy of the initial diagnosis was systematically reviewed. RESULTS: One hundred and forty-two patients with LO-RA, 147 with PMR and 42 with PMR + TA were studied. Peripheral synovitis was observed in 23% of the PMR patients. In comparison with RF -ve LO-RA, PMR patients were younger (P < 0.001), myalgia more frequent [100 vs 16% (P < 0.001)] and arthritis of PIP, MCP and wrist were less frequent (P < 0.001). The combination of wrist + MCP/PIP or wrist + PIP + MCP were highly suggestive of RF -ve LO-RA (P < 0.001). HLA-DRB1*0101/0102 and *0401 were significantly increased in PMR patients compared with healthy controls. Plasma viscosity and arthritis in the wrist, in combination with at least one MCP or PIP joint at disease onset, were predictive of whether a non-erosive RF -ve patient would ultimately be diagnosed as having RF -ve LO-RA or PMR (+/-/arthritis). CONCLUSION: Our longitudinal follow-up data were consistent with RF -ve LO-RA being a separate disease entity to PMR despite some phenotypic and immunogenetic similarities at disease onset. A diagnostic algorithm was derived using baseline clinical features to predict the final diagnosis of RF -ve, non-erosive patients.

Clinical and human leucocyte antigen class II haplotype associations of autoantibodies to small ubiquitin-like modifier enzyme, a dermatomyositis-specific autoantigen target, in UK Caucasian adult-onset myositis.

OBJECTIVES: Autoantibodies to a novel autoantigen small ubiquitin-like modifier activating enzyme (SAE) associated with dermatomyositis (DM) have previously been identified. The aim of this study was to establish the frequency of anti-SAE autoantibodies in a UK myositis cohort and investigate clinicoimmunogenetic associations. METHODS: Clinical data and sera were studied from 266 patients recruited to the Adult Onset Myositis Immunogenetic Collaboration. Myositis sera, control sera including 250 patients with other connective tissue diseases and 50 healthy participants were screened using radio-immunoprecipitation. Immunodepletion was performed on all sera immunoprecipitating 40 and 90 kDa bands to confirm the presence of anti-SAE. DNA from 202 patients with myositis was genotyped for human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-DRB1 and DQB1; DQA1 data were inferred. RESULTS: Out of 266 patients with myositis, 11 (4%) were positive for anti-SAE, which was found exclusively in DM with a frequency of 8%. Patients with anti-SAE had a high frequency of cutaneous lesions including heliotrope (82%) and Gottron rash (82%). Of the 11, 9 (82%) had systemic features and 7 of 9 (78%) developed dysphagia. Of those nine, seven (78%) presented with skin disease before myositis onset. All patients with anti-SAE possessed at least one copy of HLA-DQB1*03. HLA-DRB1*04-DQA1*03-DQB1*03 was a significant risk factor in anti-SAE positive versus patients who were anti-SAE negative (haplotype frequency 18% vs 6%, p<0.001, OR 5.7, 95% CI 1.9 to 17.3). CONCLUSIONS: Anti-SAE is a myositis-specific autoantibody that identifies a subset of patients with adult DM. The majority of patients with anti-SAE presented with cutaneous disease and progressed to myositis with systemic features including dysphagia. This novel autoantibody has a strong association with the HLA-DRB1*04-DQA1*03-DQB1*03 haplotype.

Positive association of HLA-DRB1*15 with keloid disease in Caucasians.

Keloid disease (KD) is a fibroproliferative dermal tumour of unknown aetiology. The increased familial clustering in KD, its increased prevalence in certain races and concordance in identical twins suggest a strong genetic predisposition to keloid formation. The most polymorphic genetic system in all vertebrates is the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) also known as the human leucocyte antigens (HLA) system. The MHC has been shown to be strongly associated with numerous conditions. Of particular interest is the association of DR2 with dermal fibrotic diseases such as sarcoidosis. To investigate the aetiology of KD, we compared the HLA-DRB1 phenotype frequencies of Caucasoid patients with keloid scars against those observed in a control population (n = 537). A total number of 67 keloid cases were evaluated in the study. HLA-DRB1 alleles were determined in all cases and controls using a commercially available semiautomated reverse hybridization polymerase chain reaction sequence-specific oligonucleotide probes typing system. HLA-DRB1*15 phenotype frequency was higher in KD-positive Caucasians (38.8%) when compared with controls (20.9%) (corrected P = 0.017). We conclude that in Caucasians of Northern European origin, HLA-DRB1*15 is associated with risk of developing KD following injury. We have demonstrated for the first time that a genetic association exists between HLA-DRB1*15 status and the risk of developing keloid scarring in Caucasians. Our data suggest the possible involvement of an immunogenic component to KD although the exact mechanisms involved in MHC-driven abnormal fibrosis will require further investigation.