An autosomal genome-wide screen for celiac disease in Bedouin families.

ABSTRACT

Celiac disease is a common, familial autoimmune disease caused by exposure to gliadin in wheat, and related prolamins in barley and rye. The prevalence of the disease is approximately 1133. Celiac disease can cause significant morbidity. The only treatment is a gluten-free diet. A genome-wide search of 405 microsatellite markers was performed on samples from 18 Bedouin families with a minimum of two cases of celiac disease. Non-parametric and parametric (including both dominant and recessive models of inheritance) linkage analyses were performed. The most significant genome-wide linkage evidence was at chromosome 3p26 with an HLod of 3.21, under the dominant model. The only other HLod or NPL greater than 2 was at 4q35, with an HLod of 2.15 under a dominant model. The region at 3p26, previously reported in two linkage analyses, harbors interleukin receptor genes, plausible candidates for celiac disease.