Abstract
Recent advances in the identification of susceptibility genes and environmental exposures provide broad support for a post-infectious autoimmune basis for narcolepsy/hypocretin (orexin) deficiency. We genotyped loci associated with other autoimmune and inflammatory diseases in 1,886 individuals with hypocretin-deficient narcolepsy and 10,421 controls, all of European ancestry, using a custom genotyping array (ImmunoChip). Three loci located outside the Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) region on chromosome 6 were significantly associated with disease risk. In addition to a strong signal in the T cell receptor alpha (TRA@), variants in two additional narcolepsy loci, Cathepsin H (CTSH) and Tumor necrosis factor (ligand) superfamily member 4 (TNFSF4, also called OX40L), attained genome-wide significance. These findings underline the importance of antigen presentation by HLA Class II to T cells in the pathophysiology of this autoimmune disease. © 2013 Faraco et al.
Original language | English |
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Article number | e1003270 |
Pages (from-to) | 1-7 |
Journal | PLoS Genetics |
Volume | 9 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Feb 2013 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Antigen Presentation
- Autoimmune Diseases
- European Continental Ancestry Group
- Genetic Association Studies
- HLA Antigens
- Humans
- Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
- Narcolepsy
- Neuropeptides
- Orexins
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta
- Journal Article
- Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't