PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Timothy B Niewold AU - Jennifer A Kelly AU - Silvia N Kariuki AU - Beverly S Franek AU - Akaash A Kumar AU - Kenneth M Kaufman AU - Kenaz Thomas AU - Daniel Walker AU - Stan Kamp AU - Jacqueline M Frost AU - Andrew K Wong AU - Joan T Merrill AU - Marta E Alarcón-Riquelme AU - Mohammed Tikly AU - Rosalind Ramsey-Goldman AU - John D Reveille AU - Michelle A Petri AU - Jeffrey C Edberg AU - Robert P Kimberly AU - Graciela S Alarcón AU - Diane L Kamen AU - Gary S Gilkeson AU - Timothy J Vyse AU - Judith A James AU - Patrick M Gaffney AU - Kathy L Moser AU - Mary K Crow AU - John B Harley TI - IRF5 haplotypes demonstrate diverse serological associations which predict serum interferon alpha activity and explain the majority of the genetic association with systemic lupus erythematosus AID - 10.1136/annrheumdis-2011-200463 DP - 2012 Mar 01 TA - Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases PG - 463--469 VI - 71 IP - 3 4099 - http://ard.bmj.com/content/71/3/463.short 4100 - http://ard.bmj.com/content/71/3/463.full SO - Ann Rheum Dis2012 Mar 01; 71 AB - Objective High serum interferon α (IFNα) activity is a heritable risk factor for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Auto-antibodies found in SLE form immune complexes which can stimulate IFNα production by activating endosomal Toll-like receptors and interferon regulatory factors (IRFs), including IRF5. Genetic variation in IRF5 is associated with SLE susceptibility; however, it is unclear how IRF5 functional genetic elements contribute to human disease. Methods 1034 patients with SLE and 989 controls of European ancestry, 555 patients with SLE and 679 controls of African–American ancestry, and 73 patients with SLE of South African ancestry were genotyped at IRF5 polymorphisms, which define major haplotypes. Serum IFNα activity was measured using a functional assay. Results In European ancestry subjects, anti-double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) and anti-Ro antibodies were each associated with different haplotypes characterised by a different combination of functional genetic elements (OR>2.56, p<1.9×10−14 for both). These IRF5 haplotype-auto-antibody associations strongly predicted higher serum IFNα in patients with SLE and explained >70% of the genetic risk of SLE due to IRF5. In African–American patients with SLE a similar relationship between serology and IFNα was observed, although the previously described European ancestry-risk haplotype was present at admixture proportions in African–American subjects and absent in African patients with SLE. Conclusions The authors define a novel risk haplotype of IRF5 that is associated with anti-dsDNA antibodies and show that risk of SLE due to IRF5 genotype is largely dependent upon particular auto-antibodies. This suggests that auto-antibodies are directly pathogenic in human SLE, resulting in increased IFNα in cooperation with particular combinations of IRF5 functional genetic elements. SLE is a systemic autoimmune disorder affecting multiple organ systems including the skin, musculoskeletal, renal and haematopoietic systems. Humoral autoimmunity is a hallmark of SLE, and patients frequently have circulating auto-antibodies directed against dsDNA, as well as RNA binding proteins (RBP). Anti-RBP autoantibodies include antibodies which recognize Ro, La, Smith (anti-Sm), and ribonucleoprotein (anti-nRNP), collectively referred to as anti-retinol-binding protein). Anti-retinol-binding protein and anti-dsDNA auto-antibodies are rare in the healthy population.1 These auto-antibodies can be present in sera for years preceding the onset of clinical SLE illness2 and are likely pathogenic in SLE.3 4