Rare and common variants in CARD14, encoding an epidermal regulator of NF-kappaB, in psoriasis.

Psoriasis is a common inflammatory disorder of the skin and other organs. We have determined that mutations in CARD14, encoding a nuclear factor of kappa light chain enhancer in B cells (NF-kB) activator within skin epidermis, account for PSORS2. Here, we describe fifteen additional rare missense variants in CARD14, their distribution in seven psoriasis cohorts (>6,000 cases and >4,000 controls), and their effects on NF-kB activation and the transcriptome of keratinocytes.

Genome-wide signatures of 'rearrangement hotspots' within segmental duplications in humans.

The primary objective of this study was to create a genome-wide high resolution map (i.e., >100 bp) of 'rearrangement hotspots' which can facilitate the identification of regions capable of mediating de novo deletions or duplications in humans.

High resolution mapping in the major histocompatibility complex region identifies multiple independent novel loci for psoriatic arthritis.

Objective: Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) has a clear familial predisposition, the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) region being the strongest genetic locus. The study primary objective was to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) independent of known human leucocyte antigen (HLA) alleles within the MHC region that are associated with PsA using a high-density SNP map.

Method: In all, 914 samples were assessed, including 427 PsA cases from 2 well established PsA cohorts and 487 controls from Canada.

IL-23R polymorphisms in patients with ankylosing spondylitis in Korea.

Objective: IL23R polymorphisms have been shown to have a significant association with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). To date, these studies have been restricted to Caucasian patients with AS. Our study addresses this relationship in Korean patients with AS.

Genetic epidemiology of complex phenotypes.

Genetic factors play a substantive role in the susceptibility to common diseases. Due to recent advancements in the characterization of genetic variants and large-scale genotyping platforms, multiple genes have now been identified for common, complex diseases. As a result, there is an immense interest in elucidating genetic factors in complex traits.

Association of interleukin 23 receptor variants with psoriatic arthritis.

Objective: A recent genome-wide pooling study noted a significant association of interleukin 23 receptor (IL-23R) and psoriasis. Overxpression of IL-23 has been detected in lesional psoriatic skin, and induces epidermal proliferation. Given the interplay between psoriasis and PsA, we examined the association of IL-23R variants in 2 independent Canadian Caucasian cohorts of patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

Interleukin 1 polymorphisms in patients with ankylosing spondylitis in Korea.

Objective: Studies in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) cohorts have demonstrated that the interleukin 1 (IL-1) gene cluster contains a major susceptibility locus for AS and PsA. We examined the association between the IL-1 gene cluster and susceptibility to AS in Korea.

Methods: In total, 451 patients with AS and 402 ethnically matched healthy controls were genotyped with 51 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) within the IL-1 gene cluster (specifically located within the IL1A, IL1B, IL1RN, and IL1F5-10 genes based on findings of previous association studies).

Association of interleukin-23 receptor variants with ankylosing spondylitis.

Objective: Recent studies have shown that a nonsynonymous single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) (Arg381Gln; rs11209026) in the interleukin-23 receptor (IL-23R) gene on chromosome 1p31 is associated with Crohn's disease and psoriasis. Given the clinical and immunologic overlap between ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and these diseases, and the potential function of this candidate SNP, this study was undertaken to examine the association of IL-23R variants with AS in multiple Canadian populations.

Methods: We examined 3 cohorts of AS patients from established rheumatic disease centers in Canada.

Analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms in Toll-like receptor 4 shows no association with ankylosing spondylitis in a Korean population.

The role of microbial triggers in the pathogenesis of the ankylosing spondylitis (AS) has remained an active area of clinical and basic research but remains unresolved. We have recently found evidence of an important role for TLR4 in experimental reactive arthritis, raising the question to be addressed whether genetic polymorphisms in TLR4 affects susceptibility to AS. Innate immune responses to Gram-negative bacteria involve in a central role the binding of lipopolysaccharide to TLR4.

Association of toll-like receptor 4 variants and ankylosing spondylitis: a case-control study.

Objective: Functional single nucleotide polymorphisms within the ectoplasmic domain of the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) gene have been shown to result in an endotoxin-hyporesponsive phenotype and aberrant signal transduction for bacterial agonists. TLR4 is in proximity to a genome-wide linkage peak in 9q32-33. Given the proposed function and location of TLR4, we examined the association of 2 functional variants of TLR4 in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in Newfoundland.

Association between the interleukin-1 family gene cluster and psoriatic arthritis.

Objective: The interleukin-1 (IL-1) cytokine elicits a wide variety of biologic activities that initiate and promote an inflammatory response. The loci in the IL1 gene cluster have recently been associated with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Since there is clinical and immunologic overlap between psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and AS, we wanted to examine the association between a panel of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the IL1 gene family cluster and chromosome 2q12-13 in a PsA cohort.

Magnitude and distribution of linkage disequilibrium in population isolates and implications for genome-wide association studies.

The genome-wide distribution of linkage disequilibrium (LD) determines the strategy for selecting markers for association studies, but it varies between populations. We assayed LD in large samples (200 individuals) from each of 11 well-described population isolates and an outbred European-derived sample, using SNP markers spaced across chromosome 22. Most isolates show substantially higher levels of LD than the outbred sample and many fewer regions of very low LD (termed 'holes').

Association of the IL1 gene cluster with susceptibility to ankylosing spondylitis: an analysis of three Canadian populations.

Objective: To examine the association between the IL1 gene cluster and susceptibility to ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in 3 independent case-control cohorts.

Methods: We analyzed 394 patients and 446 controls from Alberta, Newfoundland, and Toronto, Canada. Samples were genotyped using a panel of 38 single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers within the IL1 gene cluster.

Association of functional variants of PTPN22 and tp53 in psoriatic arthritis: a case-control study.

Recent studies have implicated PTPN22 and tp53 in susceptibility to several autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, suggesting that these genes are important in maintaining immune homeostasis. Because autoimmune diseases may share similar susceptibility loci, investigation of these genes in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is of potential relevance. As a result we investigated known coding polymorphisms in PTPN22 and tp53 in a homogenous Caucasian PsA cohort from Newfoundland, Canada and an admixed Caucasian PsA cohort from Toronto, Canada.

Association of nuclear factor-kappaB in psoriatic arthritis.

Objective: To examine the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the NFKB1 gene, as well as 2 genes in the nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB functional complex (RelA and NFKBIA), in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) from Newfoundland.

Methods: Patients with PsA and controls were genotyped for one 4-base insertion/deletion and 5 SNP in NFKB1, 4 SNP in RelA, and 7 SNP in NFKBIA by time-of-flight mass spectrometry, using the Sequenom platform. Chi-square analysis was used to test the single locus associations between SNP in the NF-kappaB complex and PsA.

Association of TNF-alpha polymorphisms in Crohn disease.

Clinical and molecular studies implicate tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) as a key mediator in the initiation and propagation of Crohn disease (CD). Genetic associations have been documented between promoter polymorphisms of TNF-alpha and CD; however, these associations have not been universally replicated. In this study, we set out to examine the association of five promoter TNF-alpha polymorphisms in CD subjects from a founder population.

Analysis of CARD15 polymorphisms in Korean patients with ankylosing spondylitis reveals absence of common variants seen in western populations.

Objective: Substantial epidemiological and genetic evidence suggests that ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is likely due to an interplay of genetic and environmental factors. Recently, CARD15, located in chromosome 16q12, has been established as a disease susceptibility gene for Crohn's disease, Blau syndrome, and possibly psoriatic arthritis. Association studies in admixed populations from Northern European ancestry noted no such association between CARD15 mutations and AS.

Association of SEEK1 polymorphisms in Crohn's disease.

Crohn's disease (CD) is an inflammatory bowel disease that is likely the result of an interplay of genetic and environmental factors. Recent studies have postulated similarities in genetic susceptibility of CD and psoriasis. Because the +39604 SEEK1 polymorphism in chromosome 6p has recently been associated with psoriasis, the prevalence of this polymorphism, as well as two additional single nucleotide polymorphisms in the SEEK1 gene, in patients with CD from the Newfoundland population were determined.

The Newfoundland population: a unique resource for genetic investigation of complex diseases.

The population of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador is genetically isolated. This isolation is evidenced by an overabundance of several monogenic disorders. The Newfoundland population, like that of other isolates, is now the focus of interest for identification of genes implicated in common diseases.