Members 6B and 14 of the TNF receptor superfamily in multiple sclerosis predisposition.

TNFRSF6B and TNFRSF14 genes were recently associated with Crohn's disease and rheumatoid arthritis. TNFRSF14 is known as herpes virus entry mediator (HVEM), and herpes viruses have been involved in the aetiology of multiple sclerosis (MS). MS patients present human herpes virus 6 (HHV6) in active plaques and increased antibody responses to HHV6. We aimed to ascertain the role of these genes in MS susceptibility and to investigate the relationship of the gene encoding the widely expressed HVEM receptor with the active replication of HHV6 found in some MS patients. Genotyping of 1370 Spanish MS patients and 1715 ethnically matched controls was performed. HHV6A DNA levels (surrogate of active viral replication) were analysed in serum of MS patients during a 2-year follow-up. Both polymorphisms were associated with MS predisposition, with stronger effect in patients with HHV6 active replication-TNFRSF6B-rs4809330(*)A: P=0.028, OR=1.13; TNFRSF14-rs6684865(*)A: overall P=0.0008, OR=1.2; and HHV6-positive patients vs controls: P=0.017, OR=1.69.

Polymorphisms in chromosome region 12q13 and their influence on age at onset of type 1 diabetes.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: A complex region covering numerous genes in 12q13 was first associated with type 1 diabetes in the Wellcome Trust Case-Control Consortium (WTCCC) study. Two studies performed in a white population have tested the association of polymorphisms within this region with age at onset of the disease, with seemingly contradictory results. We aimed at replicating three of the strongest signals in a group of patients with early and late disease onset. METHODS: Polymorphisms rs773107, rs2292239 and rs10876864 were genotyped in 444 type 1 diabetic Spanish participants (age at onset 0-65 years) and 861 controls. The influence of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on age at onset was tested through stratified and continuous analyses. RESULTS: rs773107 and rs2292239 were significantly associated with the disease, while rs10876864 showed a trend towards statistical significance in the whole population analyses. Comparison of early-onset patients to controls was significant for the three polymorphisms (allelic p < 0.006). Late-onset patients and controls did not reveal statistical differences. Analysis of age at onset in both rs773107 and rs2292239 showed differences between genotypes (p ≤ 0.002), alleles (p ≤ 0.013) and homozygotes for the risk genotype (p ≤ 4 × 10(-4)). Polymorphism rs10876864 showed trends towards statistical significance in the allelic frequencies (p = 0.051) and homozygotes for the risk genotype (p = 0.056). Subjects with risk genotypes had a disease onset between 2 and 5 years earlier than carriers of protective alleles. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: We replicate two of the previously studied associations in a Spanish population and find new evidence of the influence of the 12q13 region on age at onset of type 1 diabetes.

The R30Q DLG5 variant is not associated with celiac disease or inflammatory bowel disease in the Spanish population.

Alterations in intestinal epithelial permeability could underlie inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and celiac disease (CeD) etiology, as supported by previous association studies. One related gene, DLG5 [discs, large homologue 5 (Drosophila)], has been associated with IBD in several populations and with CeD in the Dutch population. We tried to confirm the involvement of DLG5 in CeD performing a case-control study (725 CeD patients and 803 controls) by analysing the R30Q variant (rs1248696). Genetic frequencies did not significantly differ between groups (P > 0.80) and the meta-analysis with the Dutch data did not show any association. Additionally, we evaluated the effect of R30Q in IBD risk (858 patients), as discordant results were previously obtained. No association was detected. Our study does not support the effect of the R30Q DLG5 variant in CeD or IBD predisposition in the Spanish population.

STAT3 locus in inflammatory bowel disease and multiple sclerosis susceptibility.

STAT3 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 3) signaling is a critical component of Th17-dependent autoimmune processes. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have revealed the role of the STAT3 gene in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) susceptibility, although confirmation in clinical subphenotypes is warranted. Mice with targeted deletion of Stat3 in T cells are resistant to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, which is a multiple sclerosis (MS) model. Moreover, increased phosphorylated STAT3 was reported in T cells of patients evolving from clinically isolated syndrome to defined MS and in relapsing patients. These evidences led us to analyze the role of STAT3 in Crohn's disease (CD), ulcerative colitis (UC) and MS risk. Polymorphisms in the STAT3 region (rs3809758/rs744166/rs1026916/rs12948909) were genotyped and the inferred haplotypes were subsequently analyzed in 860 IBD and 1540 MS Spanish patients and 1720 ethnically matched controls. The haplotype conformed by the risk alleles of each polymorphism was significantly associated with both clinical phenotypes of IBD (CD: P=0.005, odds ratio 1.25, 95% confidence interval 1.06-1.46; and UC: P=0.002, odds ratio 1.19, 95% confidence interval 1.02-1.38). No evidence of association was detected for MS. The originally described association of IBD with STAT3 polymorphisms is corroborated for the two clinical phenotypes, CD and UC, in an independent population. A major role of this gene in MS seems unlikely.

Chromosomal region 16p13: further evidence of increased predisposition to immune diseases.

OBJECTIVE: Genome-wide studies have identified the chromosomal region 16p13 in the susceptibility to type 1 diabetes (T1D) and multiple sclerosis (MS). This region includes the CLEC16A/KIAA0350 gene and an adjacent gene, MHC2TA (MHC class II transactivator), previously associated with susceptibility to MS and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The role of CLEC16A polymorphisms in the pathogenesis of T1D, MS and RA and its relationship with the association reported with a MHC2TA haplotype were investigated. METHODS: CLEC16A (rs2903692/rs6498169/rs11074956) polymorphisms were analysed in 435 patients with MS, 316 with T1D and 600 with RA and in 550 ethnically matched controls. The MHC2TA rs3087456G/rs4774C risk haplotype was studied in an independent RA cohort. RESULTS: rs2903692 conferred a protective effect on patients with T1D, MS and RA. The described association of rs6498169 with MS was replicated in MS and RA cohorts. The effect of the MHC2TA rs3087456G/rs4774C haplotype on RA susceptibility was confirmed, and the haplotype was found to be in negative linkage disequilibrium with the CLEC16A rs2903692A/rs6498169A haplotype. CONCLUSIONS: Associations of CLEC16A polymorphisms with T1D and MS were successfully replicated in a Spanish population. A novel association of rs6498169 with a predisposition to RA was described which is consistent with previous MHC2TA results. These data provide evidence for the influence of variants within this chromosomal region on the development of complex diseases.

Association of IL18RAP and CCR3 with coeliac disease in the Spanish population.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Genome-wide association studies in coeliac disease (CD) have resulted in the finding of eight new genetic regions associated with disease susceptibility. However, a replication study performed in the Italian population could not confirm two of those new regions: 2q12 (IL18RAP) and 3p21 (CCR3). The aim of this study was to investigate the role of those regions in CD risk in a different Mediterranean population, the Spanish population. METHODS: A case-control study with 722 patients with CD and 794 ethnically matched healthy controls was performed. Two single-nucleotide polymorphisms, rs917997 (2q12) and rs6441961 (3p21), were genotyped and their genetic frequencies were compared between both groups using the chi(2) test. RESULTS: An association was found with rs6441961 (p = 0.0004, OR = 1.32, 95% CI 1.13 to 1.54). A non-significant result (but concordant with the initial study) was obtained for rs917997. CONCLUSION: The association of the 3p21 genetic region with CD susceptibility in the Spanish population was confirmed. In 2q12, the initially described OR is most probably overestimated and therefore the real situation may be the existence of a genuine but weak risk factor, which generates statistical power limitations.

Lack of replication of celiac disease risk variants reported in a Spanish population using an independent Spanish sample.

Celiac disease (CD) is an inflammatory condition affecting small bowel and triggered by gluten (or related proteins) ingestion in genetic susceptible individuals. Polymorphisms in three genes, SERPINE2, PPP6C and PBX3, have recently been associated with CD in the Spanish population. However, this association could not be replicated in the UK population using imputed data. As this second study analyzed a different population, we aimed at reevaluating the role of those polymorphisms using an independent Spanish sample. We genotyped three single nucleotide polymorphisms: rs6747096 in SERPINE2, rs458046 in PPP6C and rs7040561 in PBX3, in 417 CD patients, 527 ethnically matched healthy controls and parents of 304 CD patients. A case-control study using the chi(2)-test and a familial study using the transmission disequilibrium test were performed. No association was detected in those analyses. Therefore, our results seem to discard the role of the previously described polymorphisms in SERPINE2, PPP6C and PBX3 in CD susceptibility.

Effect of BSN-MST1 locus on inflammatory bowel disease and multiple sclerosis susceptibility.

Genome-wide studies highlighted the effect in Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) susceptibility of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 3p21, where BSN (bassoon), MST1 (macrophage stimulating-1) and MST1R (MST1 Receptor) genes map. MST1R expression was significantly downregulated in multiple sclerosis (MS) compared with control brains, resembling findings in the MS mouse model. We pursued to replicate the effect of this locus on inflammatory bowel diseases and to evaluate its contribution to MS risk. Polymorphisms rs9858542, rs2131109 and rs1128535 were analysed by TaqMan assays in Spanish patients (370 CD, 405 UC and 415 MS) and 800 ethnically matched controls. Allele frequencies of these SNPs were significantly different in CD patients compared with controls [rs9858542: P=0.001, Odds ratio (OR)=1.35; rs2131109: P=0.0005, OR=1.37; rs1128535: P=0.007, OR=0.78] and, specifically, in the ileal phenotype [rs9858542: P=0.0004, OR=1.47; rs2131109: P=0.00009, OR=1.52; rs1128535: P=0.02, OR=0.69]. No differences were detected between UC or MS patients and control individuals. The effect of this locus on CD predisposition was replicated, but no influence on UC or MS predisposition could be detected. This susceptibility locus seems to affect mainly to the ileal CD subphenotype, although this point awaits further corroboration in independent cohorts.

Role of polymorphisms in the TNFRSF13B (TACI) gene in Spanish patients with immunoglobulin A deficiency.

Mutations in the TNFRSF13B (TACI) gene have been associated with common variable immunodeficiency, and a role in immunoglobulin A deficiency (IgAD) has also been suggested. We aimed at studying the role of several polymorphisms along this gene in IgAD susceptibility. Three TNFRSF13B mutations (C104R, A181E and R202H) and eight additional single nucleotide polymorphisms in the gene were genotyped in 338 Spanish IgAD patients and 553 ethnically matched healthy controls and tested for association. Data from parents of 114 IgAD patients were also collected and used for additional analysis. No statistically significant differences were observed after comparing patients and controls for any single nucleotide polymorphism analysed. Therefore, our work seems to discard a role of TNFRSF13B mutations in IgAD, concordantly with the most recent published studies.

Autoimmune disease association signals in CIITA and KIAA0350 are not involved in celiac disease susceptibility.

Celiac disease (CD) is a multifactorial disease characterized by intestinal inflammation after gluten exposure in genetically susceptible individuals. A strong influence of certain human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles (those coding the HLA-DQ2 and DQ8 heterodimers) is well established, but they cannot explain the overall genetic risk. CIITA could be a good candidate gene for CD because it is mainly transcriptionally regulated, and it encodes the master regulator of major histocompatibilty complex class II gene transcription. CIITA is located in 16p13, a region also containing KIAA0350 (CLEC16A), associated with two autoimmune diseases in genome-wide association studies. We aimed at studying the involvement of polymorphisms in CIITA and KIAA0350 in CD susceptibility, with special attention to evaluate the possible presence of more than one risk factor in the region. We performed a case-control study with 607 CD patients and up to 794 healthy controls, all Spaniards. All samples were genotyped for five single nucleotide polymorphisms: rs3087456 (-168A/G) and rs4774 in CIITA and rs7203459, rs6498169 and rs2903692 in KIAA0350. No significant results were obtained when comparing genotypic, allelic or haplotypic frequencies between patients and controls. Our results seem to discard the influence in CD susceptibility of CIITA and KIAA0350 markers previously associated with other autoimmune diseases.

Association of the STAT4 gene with increased susceptibility for some immune-mediated diseases.

OBJECTIVE: The STAT4 gene encodes a transcription factor involved in the signaling pathways of several cytokines, including interleukin-12 (IL-12), the type I interferons, and IL-23. Recently, the association of a STAT4 haplotype marked by rs7574865 with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus was reported. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of this STAT4 tagging polymorphism in other immune-mediated diseases. METHODS: The study group comprised 2,776 consecutively recruited Spanish individuals: 575 with RA, 440 with multiple sclerosis, 700 with inflammatory bowel disease, 311 with type 1 diabetes, and 723 ethnically matched healthy control subjects. The STAT4 polymorphism rs7574865 was genotyped using a predesigned TaqMan assay. Allele and genotype frequencies in patients and control subjects were compared by chi-square test. RESULTS: The association of STAT4 polymorphism rs7574865 with RA was validated in patients of Spanish origin (for T versus G, P = 1.2 x 10(-6), odds ratio [OR] 1.59, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.31-1.92), and the association was described for the first time in both clinical forms of inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis (for T versus G, P = 0.006, OR 1.29, 95% CI 1.07-1.55), and in type 1 diabetes mellitus (for T versus G, P = 0.008, OR 1.36, 95% CI 1.07-1.71). In contrast, the genotypic distribution of this polymorphism showed no difference between patients with multiple sclerosis and healthy control subjects (for T versus G, P = 0.83, OR 1.02, 95% CI 0.82-1.28). CONCLUSION: The STAT4 gene is emerging as a novel common risk factor for diverse complex diseases.

IL23R: a susceptibility locus for celiac disease and multiple sclerosis?

Recent studies have shown association of the IL23R gene with inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis and ankylosing spondylitis. We aimed at studying the involvement of IL23R in celiac disease (CD) and multiple sclerosis (MS). We performed a case-control study including 598 patients with CD, 414 with MS and 546 healthy controls, all of them white Spaniards. All samples were genotyped for two single nucleotide polymorphisms: rs7517847 and rs11209026 (Arg381Gln). Statistical analyses were performed using chi(2-)tests or the Fisher's exact test. The minor allele (Gln) of the coding variant Arg381Gln was significantly increased in CD and MS patients when compared to controls (8% in CD vs 6% in controls, P=0.02; 9% in MS, P=0.006). In MS, a stronger effect was observed in patients showing primary-progressive disease (16%, P=0.004). Moreover, heterozygotes for rs7517847 were significantly increased in this group of MS patients (81% in MS vs 48% in controls, P=0.0002). In conclusion, contrary to what has been described previously, the less frequent allele of the functional polymorphism Arg381Gln (rs11209026) seems to be increasing susceptibility to CD and MS, although in this last group of patients a stronger effect is observed in patients affected of a primary-progressive form.

An IFNG polymorphism is associated with interferon-beta response in Spanish MS patients.

Interferon-beta is a biological treatment widely used in multiple sclerosis (MS). However, not every patient responds equally well to this therapy. In this study, our aim was to evaluate the influence of a dinucleotide microsatellite located in the first intron of the interferon-gamma gene on relapse eradication in a group of interferon-beta-treated patients. Our results show a very different allelic distribution when patients with relapses were compared with relapse-free patients.

Polymorphisms in the interleukin-10 gene and relation to phenotype in patients with ulcerative colitis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Interleukin-10 (IL-10) has a key role in regulating mucosal inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease. In our population of Spanish ulcerative colitis (UC) patients, we have previously demonstrated that two polymorphisms (IL-10.G14 microsatellite allele and homozygous for the -1082G allele (guanine at position -1082)) in the IL-10 gene were susceptibility markers for disease. No data exist regarding the relationship of these IL-10 polymorphisms with phenotypic subpopulations in UC. Therefore, this study sought to examine the contribution of IL-10 polymorphisms to phenotypical variability in UC. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cohort of 215 Spanish unrelated patients with UC recruited in a single center was studied. All patients were rigorously phenotyped and followed for at least 3 years (mean time: 11.8 years). The clinical phenotype was established before genotyping. Genotyping was performed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays. RESULTS: Patients with UC included 129 (60%) men and 89 (40%) women. Mean age at diagnosis was 38 years, with a range of 8-83. Disease extent included 127 (59.1%) left-side patients and 88 (40.9%) extensive patients. Neither UC phenotype variable was associated with the presence of susceptibility polymorphisms (10G14 microsatellite and -1082G allele). CONCLUSIONS: In Madrid's Spanish population of UC patients, the carrying of the ILG14 microsatellite or -1082G polymorphism in the IL-10 gene was not associated with phenotype of disease.

Inhibition of in vivo tumor growth by a monoclonal IgM antibody recognizing tumor cell surface carbohydrates.

We have shown previously that IgM from Ehrlich tumor (ET)-immunized mice, recognizing ET cell surface carbohydrates, protects control mice to a subsequent tumor challenge. The factors involved in such IgM-mediated protection were unknown, since it was independent of complement activation. Here, we have extended these in vivo studies by means of monoclonal IgM antibodies. Two of them (A10 and E1), strongly recognizing ET cells and with specificity to ET cell surface carbohydrates, were selected. The results show that A10 (but not E1 or unrelated IgM antibodies) is able to protect nonimmunized mice against ET growth. Protection by A10 was also seen by reducing 800-fold the initial dose; however, E1 was unsuccessful whatever the dose used. A10-mediated protection was observed in C3-defective mice (cobra venom factor treated) or in C5-deficient DBA/2, but not in silica-treated animals. Endotoxin removal did not affect the protection afforded by A10 while specific IgM depletion prevented any protective effect. In addition, the relationship between natural antibodies of IgM isotype recognizing ET cell surface carbohydrates and mouse strain resistance to this tumor is established. Similarly, this natural resistance seems to be complement independent but macrophage mediated. Therefore, these results indicate that some IgM molecules recognizing cell surface carbohydrates may participate in in vivo tumor suppression by a macrophage-dependent mechanism.

DRB1-TNF-alpha-TNF-beta haplotype is strongly associated with severe aortoiliac occlusive disease, a clinical form of atherosclerosis.

Severe aortoiliac occlusive disease (AOD) is a clinical manifestation of peripheral arteriosclerosis. Atherosclerosis has been associated with some human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DRB1 alleles, stressing its relationship with autoimmune or inflammatory disorders. Additionally, in rheumatoid arthritis patients, the DRB1*0404 allele is specifically associated with endothelial dysfunction. Our objective was to assess the role of class II HLA alleles in the susceptibility to AOD; a combined study of the nearby tumor necrosis factor (TNF) locus was also performed. We included 104 AOD patients and 504 healthy controls from Madrid. DRB1 typing and DRB1*04 subtyping was done by polymerase chain reaction amplification followed by hybridization with specific oligonucleotides. TNF-alpha and TNF-beta microsatellites were studied by polymerase chain reaction and capillary electrophoresis. None of the markers was associated with AOD, although a trend was observed for DRB1*0404 (OR = 2.18; p = 0.05). However, among DRB1*0404 individuals, the TNFa11-b4 pair was present more frequently in patients than in controls (OR = 16.0; p = 0.007). The combined appearance of TNFa11-b4 and DRB1*0404 was much more frequent in patients than in controls (OR = 5.92; p = 0.0013), a result enhanced by haplotypic estimates (OR = 10.0; p = 0.00017). Our results show that the HLA region modulates the predisposition to AOD. More specifically, they suggest that an extended haplotype encompassing DRB1*0404 and TNFa11-b4 carries a genetic factor conferring susceptibility to AOD.

Primary association of a TNF gene polymorphism with susceptibility to multiple sclerosis.

The associations of three promoter polymorphisms in the tumor necrosis factor (TNFA) gene have been studied in 238 patients and 324 control subjects. A significant correlation was found between MS susceptibility and the TNFA-376 polymorphism. This association was independent of the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class II association and the combined inheritance of HLA-DRB1*1501 and the TNFA-376A allele more than additively increased susceptibility to MS.

Combined effect of HLA-DRB1*1501 and interleukin-1 receptor antagonist gene allele 2 in susceptibility to relapsing/remitting multiple sclerosis.

Susceptibility to multiple sclerosis (MS) is associated with HLA-DRB1*1501. Many reports have suggested associations with other loci but these results remain unconfirmed. We studied the IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) gene polymorphism and the HLA-DR and DQ allele frequencies by DNA-based methods in both the primary chronic progressive form (PP MS) and the relapsing/remitting form (R/R MS). The frequency of DRB1*1501 and IL-1ra allele 2 were significantly higher in R/R MS. Association was more marked in the female sex and in patients with benign forms of R/R MS. On the other hand DR4 subtypes carrying a Val at position 86 in the DR beta chain were increased in PP MS. The present study indicates that MS is genetically heterogeneous and shows a combined effect of HLA-DR and IL-1ra genes in susceptibility to the R/R form of the disease.

HLA-linked genes acting as additive susceptibility factors in celiac disease.

Susceptibility to developing CD is widely accepted to be primarily associated with a particular HLA-DQ alpha beta heterodimer encoded by the DQA1*0501 and DQB1*0201 alleles in cis position on the DR3,DQ2 haplotype or in trans position by DR5,DQ7/DR7,DQ2 heterozygotes. We performed genomic HLA-DR and -DQ typing of 100 unrelated Spanish celiac children and 180 ethnically matched controls. As expected, most (92 out of 100) celiac patients carried the HLA-DQ alpha beta heterodimer, and we selected these individuals for further studies. The results corroborate that although the DQA1*0501 and DQB1*0201 genes in single dosage appear sufficient for conferring disease susceptibility, individuals homozygotes for DQB1*0201 show an increased risk. Furthermore, our data also show that those carrying the genotype DR5,DQ7/DR7,DQ2 have a significantly increased risk of developing CD as compared to those that are non-DR7 positive, also carrying the CD-associated HLA-DQ alpha beta heterodimer. This strongly suggests that there is an MHC linked non-HLA-DQ gene primarily associated with CD present on DR7,DQ2 haplotype, which should either be DR7 or in strong linkage disequilibrium with it. Our data also indicate that, as has already been suggested, another HLA-associated CD susceptibility gene may be present on some DR4-carrying haplotypes.