The susceptibility loci juvenile idiopathic arthritis shares with other autoimmune diseases extend to PTPN2, COG6, and ANGPT1.
OBJECTIVE
To test for associations between non-major histocompatibility complex susceptibility loci previously reported in autoimmune diseases and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).


METHODS
Published autoimmune disease genome-wide association studies were reviewed, and 519 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were selected for association testing. The initial cohort included 809 JIA cases and 3,535 controls of non-Hispanic, European ancestry. Of the SNPs, 257 were successfully genotyped, while 168 were imputed with quality. Based on findings in the initial cohort, replication was sought for 21 SNPs in a second cohort of 1,015 JIA cases and 1,569 controls collected in the US and Germany. For the initial cohort, tests for association were adjusted for potential confounding effects of population structure by including principal components derived from a genome-wide association study as covariates in logistic regression models. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals were calculated.


RESULTS
Testing for association of previously reported autoimmune disease genetic associations in the initial cohort suggested associations with JIA in 13 distinct loci. Of these, 7 were validated in the replication cohort. Meta-analysis results for the replicating loci included PTPN22 (rs6679677 [OR 1.58, P = 1.98 × 10(-12) ], rs2476601 [OR 1.64, P = 1.90 × 10(-13) ], and rs2488457 [OR 1.32, P = 6.74 × 10(-8) ]), PTPN2 (rs1893217 [OR = 1.33, P = 1.60 × 10(-9) ] and rs7234029 [OR 1.35, P = 1.86 × 10(-10) ]), ADAD1-IL2-IL21 (rs17388568 [OR 1.24, P = 1.13 × 10(-6) ] and rs13143866 [OR 0.83, P = 1.95 × 10(-4) ]), STAT4 (rs3821236 [OR = 1.27, P = 2.36 × 10(-6) ] and rs7574865 [OR = 1.31, P = 2.21 × 10(-6) ]), C12orf30 (rs17696736 [OR = 1.19, P = 2.59 × 10(-5) ]), COG6 (rs7993214 [OR = 0.76, P = 1.10 × 10(-5) ]), and ANGPT1 (rs1010824 [OR = 0.79, P = 2.91 × 10(-4) ]). These polymorphisms have been reported in diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes mellitus, Crohn's disease, and multiple sclerosis.


CONCLUSIONS
General susceptibility loci for autoimmunity are shared across diseases, including JIA, suggesting the potential for common therapeutic targets and mechanisms.
Thompson
Susan D
SD
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229, USA. susan.thompson@cchmc.org
Sudman
Marc
M
Ramos
Paula S
PS
Marion
Miranda C
MC
Ryan
Mary
M
Tsoras
Monica
M
Weiler
Tracey
T
Wagner
Michael
M
Keddache
Mehdi
M
Haas
J Peter
JP
Mueller
Cornelia
C
Prahalad
Sampath
S
Bohnsack
John
J
Wise
Carol A
CA
Punaro
Marilynn
M
Zhang
Dongping
D
Rosé
Carlos D
CD
Comeau
Mary E
ME
Divers
Jasmin
J
Glass
David N
DN
Langefeld
Carl D
CD
D033942:Adaptor Proteins, Vesicular Transport / Q000235:genetics*; D000483:Alleles; D042683:Angiopoietin-1 / Q000235:genetics*; D001171:Arthritis, Juvenile / Q000235:genetics*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D056726:Genetic Association Studies; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D054578:Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase, Non-Receptor Type 2 / Q000235:genetics*
C467630:ANGPT1 protein, human; D033942:Adaptor Proteins, Vesicular Transport; D042683:Angiopoietin-1; C553748:COG6 protein, human; C516649:PTPN2 protein, human; D054578:Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase, Non-Receptor Type 2