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. 2012 Jun;39(6):1238-40.
doi: 10.3899/jrheum.111467. Epub 2012 Apr 15.

Genetic ancestry, serum interferon-α activity, and autoantibodies in systemic lupus erythematosus

Kichul Ko  1 , Beverly S Franek, Miranda Marion, Kenneth M Kaufman, Carl D Langefeld, John B Harley, Timothy B Niewold
Affiliations

Genetic ancestry, serum interferon-α activity, and autoantibodies in systemic lupus erythematosus

Kichul Ko et al. J Rheumatol. 2012 Jun.

Abstract

Objective: To investigate and refine the relationships among systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and related autoantibodies, interferon-α (IFN-α), and various ancestral backgrounds.

Methods: We investigated quantitatively defined genetic ancestry through principal component analysis in place of self-reported ancestry.

Results: African ancestry was found to be associated with presence of anti-RNP antibody (p = 0.0026), and anti-RNP was correlated with high levels of IFN-α (p = 2.8 × 10(-5)).

Conclusion: Our data support a model in which African ancestry increases the likelihood of SLE-associated autoantibody formation, which subsequently results in higher levels of serum IFN-α.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Principal component (PC) analysis of ancestry-informative genetic markers in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus of various self-reported ancestral backgrounds. PC1, PC2, and PC3 correspond to the first, second, and third principal components from this analysis, and each dot represents 1 subject who is color-coded by self-reported ancestral background. A. PC1 vs PC2; B. PC2 vs PC3. AA: African-American; EA: European-American; HA: Hispanic American.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Network diagram shows relationships among genetic ancestry, age, autoantibodies, and interferon-α (IFN-α), with OR indicating the magnitude of the relationship.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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