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- Löfgren, Sara E, et al.
(författare)
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Estrogen-dependent upregulation of IRF5 in human immune cells
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Objective: To contribute to the knowledge of the mechanisms behind the strong sex-biased prevalence of SLE, we investigated the role of estrogen on the expression of one of the strongest associated gene with SLE, the interferon regulatory factor 5 (IRF5), in human immune cells. Material and methods: IRF5, as well as IRF3, IRF4, IRF7 and IRF9 expression was measured in PBMCs, LCLs, monocytes and macrophages from both male and female origin. Cells were treated with different concentrations of estrogen and gene expression was measured by quantitative RT-PCR. Results: We found that the initial levels of IRF5 in PBMC were almost 2-fold higher in women than men, although not reaching statistical significance. After 12 h in culture the IRF5 levels became roughly equal in both sexes, and further stimulation with estrogen lead to up-regulation of IRF5 expression in both PBMCs and monocytes in both women and men. No difference was seen for IRF3, IRF4, IRF7 and IRF9 expression, and no gene was up-regulated in LCLs, upon estrogen treatment, regardless of the gender. Conclusions: We showed that in human PBMCs and monocytes from healthy individuals IRF5 expression can be regulated by exogenous estrogen. This feature might be specific to IRF5 since four other IRF genes tested did not show any up-regulation in these cells.
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| 2. |
- Prokunina, Ludmila, et al.
(författare)
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A regulatory polymorphism in PDCD1 is associated with susceptibility to systemic lupus erythematosus in humans
- 2002
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Ingår i: Nature Genetics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1061-4036 .- 1546-1718. ; 32:4, s. 666-669
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Recension (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE, OMIM 152700) is a complex autoimmune disease that affects 0.05% of the Western population, predominantly women. A number of susceptibility loci for SLE have been suggested in different populations, but the nature of the susceptibility genes and mutations is yet to be identified. We previously reported a susceptibility locus (SLEB2) for Nordic multi-case families. Within this locus, the programmed cell death 1 gene (PDCD1, also called PD-1) was considered the strongest candidate for association with the disease. Here, we analyzed 2,510 individuals, including members of five independent sets of families as well as unrelated individuals affected with SLE, for single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that we identified in PDCD1. We show that one intronic SNP in PDCD1 is associated with development of SLE in Europeans (found in 12% of affected individuals versus 5% of controls; P = 0.00001, r.r. (relative risk) = 2.6) and Mexicans (found in 7% of affected individuals versus 2% of controls; P = 0.0009, r.r. = 3.5). The associated allele of this SNP alters a binding site for the runt-related transcription factor 1 (RUNX1, also called AML1) located in an intronic enhancer, suggesting a mechanism through which it can contribute to the development of SLE in humans.
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| 5. |
- Alarcon-Riquelme, Marta E., et al.
(författare)
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Finding genes for SLE : complex interactions and complex populations
- 2003
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Ingår i: Journal of Autoimmunity. - 0896-8411 .- 1095-9157. ; 21:2, s. 117-120
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Many years of work, multiplex family collection and endless genotyping finally give fruit. The original aim cannot be lost. The aim is not only to identify mutations involved in susceptibility for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) but to elucidate the disease pathogenesis as well. After genetics comes the biology. We review our recent findings on the genetics of lupus, provide possible mechanisms for disease susceptibility and present some facts on the problematic of identifying susceptibility mutations for complex diseases in complex human populations.
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| 10. |
- Delgado Vega, Angélica María, 1982-
(författare)
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Dissecting the Genetic Basis of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus : The Pursuit of Functional Variants
- 2013
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic and systemic autoimmune disease that primarily affects women during the childbearing years. SLE is characterized by the production of autoantibodies against nucleic acids and their interacting proteins. The exact molecular mechanisms leading to the breakdown of self-tolerance remain to a large extent unknown, but it is well established that they are influenced by both non-genetic (i.e. environmental and hormonal) and genetic factors. SLE is a complex, polygenic disease. Several susceptibility variants have been identified in SLE. However, the functional role in disease pathogenesis for the majority of them remains largely unknown.This thesis includes case-control association studies where the role of the genes TNFSF4 (Paper I), STAT4 (Paper II), CD226 (Paper III), and BLK (Papers IV and V) in the susceptibility of developing SLE was investigated. The primary focus was on the identification of the functional variants underlying the association. For each of these genes, fine mapping was performed using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), the linkage disequilibrium (LD) was characterized, and the association was narrowed down to specific haplotypes by means of several different statistical genetic strategies. Candidate variants were prioritized for further functional analysis on the basis of their potential effect on the gene function, their association, and/or biological plausibility. In Paper I, the association of TNFSF4 with SLE was validated and attributed to a risk haplotype tagged by SNPs rs1234317-T and rs12039904-T. Paper II provides evidence supporting the presence of at least two independent genetic effects within the STAT4 gene represented by rs3821236-A and rs7574865-A, which correlated with increased levels of gene expression. In Paper III, a functional allele in CD226 (rs727088-C) was identified, which was responsible for decreased levels in both mRNA and protein expression. In Paper IV, two independent genetic effects in the BLK gene were demonstrated. The first one comprised multiple regulatory variants in high LD that were enriched for NFκB and IRF4 binding sites and correlated with low BLK mRNA levels. The second was a low-frequency missense substitution (Ala71Thr) that decreased the BLK protein half-life. In Paper V, a genetic epistatic interaction between BANK1 rs10516487 (GG) and BLK rs2736340 (TT+TC) was demonstrated. Additional molecular analyses established that these molecules interact physically. These studies have contributed to the dissection of the genetic architecture of SLE. They highlight the allelic heterogeneity of the disease and provide functional links to the associated variants, which has significantly aided in the understanding of SLE disease pathogenesis.
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