Seven nonsynonymous SNPs in the gene encoding human deoxyribonuclease II may serve as a functional SNP potentially implicated in autoimmune dysfunction.

Many nonsynonymous SNPs in the human DNase II gene (DNASE2), potentially relevant to autoimmunity in conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, have been identified, but only limited population data are available and no studies have evaluated whether such SNPs are functional. Genotyping of all the 15 nonsynonymous human DNase II SNPs was performed in three ethnic groups including 16 different populations using the PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism technique. A series of constructs corresponding to each SNP was examined. Fifteen nonsynonymous SNPs in the gene, except for p.Val206Ile in a Korean population, exhibited a mono-allelic distribution in all of the populations. On the basis of alterations in the activity levels resulting from the corresponding amino acid substitutions, four activity-abolishing and five activity-reducing SNPs were confirmed to be functional. The amino acid residues in activity-abolishing SNPs were conserved in animal DNase II. All the nonsynonymous SNPs that affected the catalytic activity of human DNase II showed extremely low genetic heterogeneity. However, a minor allele of seven SNPs producing a loss-of-function or extremely low activity-harboring variant could serve as a genetic risk factor for autoimmune dysfunction. These functional SNPs in DNASE2 may have clinical implications in relation to the prevalence of autoimmune diseases.