OBJECTIVE: Autoantibodies produced by differentiated B cells play an important role in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR-9) gene has recently emerged as an important costimulatory molecule for both B cells and dendritic cells that respond to chromatin immune complexes. Genetic variation affecting the function of TLR-9 may therefore increase or decrease the threshold of B cell or dendritic cell activation. This variability in activation threshold may, in turn, affect an individual's susceptibility to SLE. This study assessed the role of genetic variation within the TLR-9 gene in susceptibility to SLE. METHODS: We genotyped 362 SLE-affected subject/parent trios for 10 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) covering a 68,742-bp genomic segment that contains the TLR-9 gene and approximately 60 kb of flanking sequence. We analyzed the data using the transmission disequilibrium test. RESULTS: There was no association of susceptibility to SLE with any of the 9 SNPs that generated usable data or the 8 haplotypes found at a frequency of >0.05 in this population. When analyzing the subset of 143 subjects with lupus nephritis, there was also no evidence of association between disease susceptibility and any SNP or haplotype. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that there is no evidence that common (frequency higher than 5%) alleles of the TLR-9 gene contribute significantly to the genetic risk involved in susceptibility to SLE or lupus nephritis.
OBJECTIVE: Autoantibodies produced by differentiated B cells play an important role in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR-9) gene has recently emerged as an important costimulatory molecule for both B cells and dendritic cells that respond to chromatin immune complexes. Genetic variation affecting the function of TLR-9 may therefore increase or decrease the threshold of B cell or dendritic cell activation. This variability in activation threshold may, in turn, affect an individual's susceptibility to SLE. This study assessed the role of genetic variation within the TLR-9 gene in susceptibility to SLE. METHODS: We genotyped 362 SLE-affected subject/parent trios for 10 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) covering a 68,742-bp genomic segment that contains the TLR-9 gene and approximately 60 kb of flanking sequence. We analyzed the data using the transmission disequilibrium test. RESULTS: There was no association of susceptibility to SLE with any of the 9 SNPs that generated usable data or the 8 haplotypes found at a frequency of >0.05 in this population. When analyzing the subset of 143 subjects with lupus nephritis, there was also no evidence of association between disease susceptibility and any SNP or haplotype. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that there is no evidence that common (frequency higher than 5%) alleles of the TLR-9 gene contribute significantly to the genetic risk involved in susceptibility to SLE or lupus nephritis.
Authors: Justin H Fransen; Johan van der Vlag; Jurjen Ruben; Gosse J Adema; Jo H Berden; Luuk B Hilbrands Journal: Arthritis Res Ther Date: 2010-04-26 Impact factor: 5.156
Authors: Andriy V Kubarenko; Satish Ranjan; Anna Rautanen; Tara C Mills; Sunny Wong; Fredrik Vannberg; Michael Neumaier; Isabelle Bekeredjian-Ding; Adrian V S Hill; Parviz Ahmad-Nejad; Alexander N R Weber Journal: J Biol Chem Date: 2010-09-14 Impact factor: 5.157