
Abstract Birdshot Uveitis (Birdshot) is a rare eye condition that affects HLA-A29-positive individuals and could be considered a prototypic member of the recently proposed “MHC-I-opathy” family. Genetic studies have pinpointed the ERAP1 and ERAP2 genes as shared associations across MHC-I-opathies, which suggests ERAP dysfunction may be a root cause for MHC-I-opathies. We mapped the ERAP1 and ERAP2 haplotypes in 84 Dutch cases and 890 controls. We identified association at variant rs10044354, which mediated a marked increase in ERAP2 expression. We also identified and cloned an independently associated ERAP1 haplotype (tagged by rs2287987) present in more than half of the cases; this ERAP1 haplotype is also the primary risk and protective haplotype for other MHC-I-opathies. We show that the risk ERAP1 haplotype conferred significantly altered expression of ERAP1 isoforms in transcriptomic data (n=360), resulting in lowered protein expression and distinct enzymatic activity. Both the association for rs10044354 (meta-analysis: OR[95% CI]=2.07[1.58-2.71], p=1.24 × 10(−7)) and rs2287987 (OR[95% CI]: =2.01 [1.51-2.67], p=1.41 × 10(−6)) replicated and showed consistent direction of effect in an independent Spanish cohort of 46 cases and 2,103 controls. In both cohorts, the combined rs2287987-rs10044354 haplotype associated with Birdshot more strongly than either SNP alone (meta-analysis: p=3.9 × 10(−9)). Finally, we observed that ERAP2 protein expression is dependent on the ERAP1 background across three European populations (n=3,353). In conclusion, a functionally distinct combination of ERAP1 and ERAP2 are a hallmark of Birdshot and provide rationale for strategies designed to correct ERAP function for treatment of Birdshot and MHC-I-opathies more broadly.
Male, Minor Histocompatibility Loci, Genotype, 610, Radboud University Medical Center, Medical and Health Sciences, Aminopeptidases, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide, Minor Histocompatibility Antigens, Uveitis, Genetics, 2.1 Biological and endogenous factors, Humans, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, Aetiology, Polymorphism, Association Studies Article, Genetic Association Studies, Genetics & Heredity, HLA-A Antigens, Radboudumc 12: Sensory disorders DCMN: Donders Center for Medical Neuroscience, Single Nucleotide, Biological Sciences, Haplotypes, Human Genetics - Radboud University Medical Center, Female, Ophthalmology - Radboud University Medical Center
Male, Minor Histocompatibility Loci, Genotype, 610, Radboud University Medical Center, Medical and Health Sciences, Aminopeptidases, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide, Minor Histocompatibility Antigens, Uveitis, Genetics, 2.1 Biological and endogenous factors, Humans, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, Aetiology, Polymorphism, Association Studies Article, Genetic Association Studies, Genetics & Heredity, HLA-A Antigens, Radboudumc 12: Sensory disorders DCMN: Donders Center for Medical Neuroscience, Single Nucleotide, Biological Sciences, Haplotypes, Human Genetics - Radboud University Medical Center, Female, Ophthalmology - Radboud University Medical Center
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