B cell polygenic risk scores associate with anti-dsDNA antibodies and nephritis in systemic lupus erythematosus.
JSON
Hedenstedt A, Reid S, Sayadi A, Eloranta ML, Skoglund E, Bolin K, Frodlund M, Lerang K, Jönsen A, Rantapää-Dahlqvist S, Bengtsson AA, Rudin A, Molberg Ø, Sjöwall C, Sandling JK, Leonard D
Lupus Sci Med 10 (2) - [2023-10-00; online 2023-10-17]
B cell function and autoantibodies are important in SLE pathogenesis. In this work, we aimed to investigate the impact of cumulative SLE B cell genetics on SLE subphenotype and autoantibody profile. Female patients with SLE (n=1248) and healthy controls (n=400) were genotyped using Illumina's Global Screening Array. Two polygenic risk scores (PRSs), one representing B cell genes and the other B cell activation genes, were calculated for each individual using risk loci for SLE in genes assigned to B cell-related pathways according to the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes, Gene Ontology and Reactome Databases. Double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) antibodies were more prevalent among patients with a high compared with a low SLE B cell PRS (OR 1.47 (1.07 to 2.01), p=0.018), and effect sizes were augmented in patients with human leucocyte antigen (HLA) risk haplotypes HLA-DRB1*03:01 and HLA-DRB1*15:01 (DRB1*03/15 -/- (OR 0.99 (0.56 to 1.77), p=0.98; DRB1*03/15 +/- or -/+ (OR 1.64 (1.06 to 2.54), p=0.028; and DRB1*03/15 +/+ (OR 4.47 (1.21 to 16.47), p=0.024). Further, a high compared with a low B cell PRS was associated with low complement levels in DRB1*03/15 +/+ patients (OR 3.92 (1.22 to 12.64), p=0.022). The prevalence of lupus nephritis (LN) was higher in patients with a B cell activation PRS above the third quartile compared with patients below (OR 1.32 (1.00 to 1.74), p=0.048). High genetic burden related to B cell function is associated with dsDNA antibody development and LN. Assessing B cell PRSs may be important in order to determine immunological pathways influencing SLE and to predict clinical phenotype.
NGI Uppsala (SNP&SEQ Technology Platform) [Service]
National Genomics Infrastructure [Service]
PubMed 37844960
DOI 10.1136/lupus-2023-000926
Crossref 10.1136/lupus-2023-000926
pmc: PMC10582984
pii: 10/2/e000926