Leprosy as a genetic model for susceptibility to common infectious diseases.
Leprosy (Hansen's disease) is a human infectious disease that can be effectively treated with long-term administration of multi-drug therapy. In 2006, over 250,000 new cases were reported to the World Health Organization. In the nineteenth century, disagreement among leprologists regarding the hereditary or infectious nature of leprosy was resolved with the identification of the etiological agent, Mycobacterium leprae. However, epidemiological studies maintain the importance of host genetics in leprosy susceptibility. A model free genome-wide linkage scan in multi-case families from Vietnam led to the positional cloning of global genetic risk factors in the PARK2/PACRG and LTA genes. The process of identifying the susceptibility variants provided invaluable insight into the replication of genetic effects, particularly the importance of considering population-specific linkage-disequilibrium structure. As such, these studies serve to improve our understanding of leprosy pathogenesis by implicating novel biological pathways while simultaneously providing a genetic model for common infectious diseases.
Alter
Andrea
A
McGill Centre for the Study of Host Resistance, The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, 1650 Cedar Avenue, Montreal, H3G 1A4, QC, Canada.
Alcaïs
Alexandre
A
Abel
Laurent
L
Schurr
Erwin
E
D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D007918:Leprosy / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D008840:Microfilament Proteins; D008957:Models, Genetic; D018832:Molecular Chaperones / Q000235:genetics; D009166:Mycobacterium leprae / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D044767:Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases / Q000235:genetics
D008840:Microfilament Proteins; D018832:Molecular Chaperones; C471711:PACRG protein, human; D044767:Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases; C111567:parkin protein