Journal Article

Identification of 38 novel loci for systemic lupus erythematosus and genetic heterogeneity between ancestral groups

Yin, Xianyong, Wang, Ting-You, Shen, Jiangshan Jane, Guo, Mengbiao, Lau, Chak Sing, He, Jing, Morris, David L., Lin, Zhiming, Wu, Qi, Mok, Chi Chiu, Song, Qin, Ban, Bo, Cao, Yujie, Lu, Liangjing, Vyse, Timothy J., Shen, Nan, Gu, Xiaoqiong, Zhang, Yan, Zhang, Xuejun, Lam, Tai-Hing, Yang, Wanling, Mai, Zhi-Ming, Lin, Jia-Huang, Smith, David K., Lau, Yu Lung, Zhang, Huoru, Zhong, Shi-Long, Sheng, Yujun, Lei, Yao, Chen, Yanhui, Yang, Jing, Cui, Yong, Sham, Pak C., Tang, Yuanjia, Wang, Yong-Fei

2021

Overview

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a worldwide autoimmune disease with high heritability, shows differences in prevalence, severity and age of onset among different ancestral groups. Previous genetic studies have focused more on European populations, which appear to be the least affected. Consequently, the genetic variations that underlie the commonalities, differences and treatment options in SLE among ancestral groups have not been well elucidated. To address this, we undertake a genome-wide association study, increasing the sample size of Chinese populations to the level of existing European studies. Thirty-eight novel SLE-associated loci and incomplete sharing of genetic architecture are identified. In addition to the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) region, nine disease loci show clear ancestral differences and implicate antibody production as a potential mechanism for differences in disease manifestation. Polygenic risk scores perform significantly better when trained on ancestry-matched data sets. These analyses help to reveal the genetic basis for disparities in SLE among ancestral groups. The presentation of systemic lupus erythematosus has been known to differ by ancestry, but the underlying genetic factors remain unclear. Here, the authors report ancestry-specific susceptibility loci and better risk prediction when using data from matched ancestral groups.

• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group UK,Nature Publishing Group,Nature Portfolio
• Subject: 45/43 / 631/208/205/2138 / 631/250/38 / 692/4023/1670/1613 / 692/699/249/1313 / Antibodies / Antigens / Asian People - genetics / Autoimmune diseases / Case-Control Studies / Chronic conditions / Genetic analysis / Genetic diversity / Genetic factors / Genetic Heterogeneity / Genetic Predisposition to Disease - ethnology / Genetic Predisposition to Disease - genetics / Genome-wide association studies / Genome-Wide Association Study - methods / Genomes / Genotype / Heritability / Heterogeneity / Histocompatibility antigen HLA / Humanities and Social Sciences / Humans / Leukocytes / Linkage Disequilibrium / Loci / Lupus / Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic - ethnology / Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic - genetics / multidisciplinary / Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Populations / Science / Science (multidisciplinary) / Systemic lupus erythematosus / White People - genetics