Engulfment and cell motility 1 (ELMO1) and apolipoprotein A1 (APOA1) as candidate genes for sickle cell nephropathy.

Sickle cell disease (SCD) and apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1) G1/G2 variants increase chronic kidney disease (CKD) risk in African Americans by poorly understood mechanisms. We applied bioinformatics to identify new candidate genes associated with SCD-related CKD. An interaction network demonstrated APOA1 connecting haemoglobin subunit β (HBB) and APOL1 with 36 other candidate genes. Gene expression revealed upregulation of engulfment and cell motility 1 (ELMO1) and downregulation of APOA1 in the kidney cortex of SCD versus non-SCD mice. Analysis of candidate genes identified ELMO1 rs10951509 to be associated with albuminuria and APOA1 rs11216132 with haemoglobinuria in patients with SCD. A bioinformatic approach highlights ELMO1 and APOA1 as potentially associated with SCD nephropathy.