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Confer Risk (confer + risk)
Selected AbstractsSusceptibility genes in movement disordersMOVEMENT DISORDERS, Issue 7 2008Sonja Scholz MD Abstract During the last years, remarkable progress in our understanding of molecular genetic mechanisms underlying movement disorders has been achieved. The successes of linkage studies, followed by positional cloning, have dominated the last decade and several genes underlying monogenic disorders have been discovered. The pathobiological understanding garnered from these mutations has laid the foundation for much of the search for genetic loci that confer risk for, rather than cause, disease. With the introduction of whole genome association studies as a novel tool to investigate genetic variation underlying common, complex diseases, a new era in neurogenomics has just begun. As the field rapidly moves forward several new challenges and critical questions in clinical care have to be addressed. In this review, we summarize recent advances in the discovery of susceptibility loci underlying major movement disorders, explain the newest methodologies and tools employed for finding and characterizing genes and discuss how insights into the molecular genetic basis of neurological disorders will impact therapeutic concepts in patient care. © 2008 Movement Disorder Society [source] Sequence variants on chromosome 9p21.3 confer risk for atherosclerotic stroke,ANNALS OF NEUROLOGY, Issue 5 2009Andreas Gschwendtner MD Objective Recent studies have identified a major locus for risk for coronary artery disease and myocardial infarction on chromosome 9p21.3. Stroke, in particular, ischemic stroke caused by atherosclerotic disease, shares common mechanisms with myocardial infarction. We investigated whether the 9p21 region contributes to ischemic stroke risk. Methods In an initial screen, 15 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) covering the critical genetic interval on 9p21 were genotyped in samples from Southern Germany (1,090 cases, 1,244 control subjects) and the United Kingdom (758 cases, 872 control subjects, 3 SNPs). SNPs significantly associated with ischemic stroke or individual stroke subtypes in either of the screening samples were subsequently genotyped in 2,528 additional cases and 2,189 additional control subjects from Europe and North America. Results Genotyping of the screening samples demonstrated associations between seven SNPs and atherosclerotic stroke (all p < 0.05). Analysis of the full sample confirmed associations between six SNPs and atherosclerotic stroke in multivariate analyses controlling for demographic variables, coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, and vascular risk factors (all p < 0.05). The odds ratios for the lead SNP (rs1537378-C) were similar in the various subsamples with a pooled odds ratio of 1.21 (95% confidence interval, 1.07,1.37) under both fixed- and random-effects models (p = 0.002). The point estimate for the population attributable risk is 20.1% for atherosclerotic stroke. Interpretation The chromosome 9p21.3 region represents a major risk locus for atherosclerotic stroke. The effect of this locus on stroke appears to be independent of its relation to coronary artery disease and other stroke risk factors. Our findings support a broad role of the 9p21 region in arterial disease. Ann Neurol 2009;65:531,539 [source] Unraveling the genetics of exfoliation glaucomaACTA OPHTHALMOLOGICA, Issue 2008F JONASSON Purpose To give an account of our recent discovery (2007) of the association of lysyl oxidase like 1 (LOXL1) sequence variants and exfoliation glaucoma (XFG) as well as later replications in other populations. Methods We did a genome-wide association study on open angle glaucoma cases and controls using the Illumina 300 chip. This chip includes probes for 317.000 single , nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), that tag, as highly correlated surrogates about 80% of the 2.1 million known common SNPs in the Caucasian genome. For diagnosis of exfoliation syndrome a peripheral band or central shield of exfoliative material on the anterior lens capsule was required. Results When we had done 195 open angle glaucoma cases high genome wide significance was achieved on chromosome 15q24.1 an association later found to be confined to XFG only. This SNP (rs2165241T) was located in the first intron of the LOXL1 gene. We then added 11 correlated SNPs that are not on the Illumina chip and found that two non-synonymous variants in the first exon of LOXL1 can jointly account for all the observed association (R141L, OR 2.5; G153D, OR 20.1). Combined the variants explained 99% of the population attributable risk for exfoliation glaucoma. Conclusion These findings have now largely been confirmed in numerous American, Asian, Australian and European studies, and in all instances do these polymorphisms in the LOXL1 gene confer risk to XFG. LOXL1 is cross linking enzyme responsible for elastin polymer deposition in ocular tissue. The LOXL1 discovery is the first big hit in the search for genetic background for exfoliation glaucoma. These findings may soon influence monitoring of glaucoma suspects in the clinic targeting persons with the high risk haplotypes. [source] A variant of the Cockayne syndrome B gene ERCC6 confers risk of lung cancer,,HUMAN MUTATION, Issue 1 2008Zhongning Lin Abstract Cockayne syndrome B protein (ERCC6) plays an essential role in DNA repair. However, the Cockayne syndrome caused by the ERCC6 defect has not been linked to cancer predisposition; likely due to the fact that cells with severe disruption of the ERCC6 function are sensitive to lesion-induced apoptosis, thus reducing the chance of tumorigenesis. The biological function and cancer susceptibility of a common variant rs3793784:C>G (c.,6530C>G) in the ERCC6 was examined. We show that the c.,6530C allele has lower binding affinity of Sp1 by EMSA and displays a lower transcriptional activity in vitro and in vivo. We then examined the contribution of this polymorphism to the risk of lung cancer in a case,control study with 1,000 cases and 1,000 controls. The case,control analysis revealed a 1.76-fold (P= × 10,9) excess risk of developing lung cancer for the c.,6530CC carriers compared with noncarriers. The c.,6530CC interacts with smoking to intensify lung cancer risk, with the odds ratio (OR)=9 for developing lung cancer among heavy smokers. Our data constituted strong evidence that ERCC6 rs3793784:C>G alters its transcriptional activity and may confer personalized susceptibility to lung cancer. Hum Mutat 29(1), 113,122, 2008. Published 2007, Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] CDK4 IVS4-nt40G,A and T2D-associated obesity in ItaliansJOURNAL OF CELLULAR PHYSIOLOGY, Issue 2 2009Ramachandran Meenakshisundaram Cell cycle regulators play crucial roles in the preadipocyte proliferation and adipocyte differentiation. Cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4) mediates with D-type cyclins entry of cells into cell cycle in response to external stimuli. CDK4 plays a role in body weight, adipogenesis, and beta cell proliferation. CDK4 null mice develop type 2 diabetes (T2D). Furthermore, CDK4 variants are associated with obesity-associated tumors/cancer. We aimed at identifying a role of CDK4 IVS4-nt40G,,,A variant in T2D-associated obesity (body mass index, BMI,,,30) by association tests in an Italian T2D subjects dataset. We recruited from Italy 128 unrelated T2D subjects with BMI,<30,kg/m2 and 54 unrelated T2D subjects with BMI,,,30,kg/m2. We performed statistical power calculations in our dataset. DNA samples were directly sequenced with specific primers for CDK4 IVS4-nt40G,,,A variant. We identified a significant association of the G allele with T2D-associated obesity and of the A allele with T2D-associated BMI,<,30. In our study, we found that the CDK4 IVS4-nt40GG genotype is a risk variant for T2D-associated obesity and that the AA genotype is associated with BMI,<,30 in T2D. Hence, CDK4 IVS4-nt40A allele is protective and G allele confers risk for obesity in T2D patients. This study should prompt further work aiming at establishing CDK4 role in contributing to human obesity and T2D-associated obesity. J. Cell. Physiol. 221: 273,275, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] A polymorphism within IL21R confers risk for systemic lupus erythematosusARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 8 2009Ryan Webb Objective Interleukin-21 (IL-21) is a member of the type I cytokine superfamily that has a variety of effects on the immune system, including B cell activation, plasma cell differentiation, and immunoglobulin production. The expression of IL-21 receptor (IL-21R) is reduced in the B cells of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), while serum IL-21 levels are increased both in lupus patients and in some murine lupus models. We recently reported that polymorphisms within the IL21 gene are associated with increased susceptibility to SLE. The aim of this study was to examine the genetic association between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within IL21R and SLE. Methods We genotyped 17 SNPs in the IL21R gene in 2 large cohorts of lupus patients (a European-derived cohort and a Hispanic cohort) and in ethnically matched healthy controls. Results We identified and confirmed the association between rs3093301 within the IL21R gene and SLE in the 2 cohorts (meta-analysis odds ratio 1.16 [95% confidence interval 1.08,1.25], P = 1.0 × 10,4). Conclusion Our findings indicate that IL21R is a novel susceptibility gene for SLE. [source] | |||||||||||||