Published at www.nejm.org January 20, 2008 (10.1056/NEJMoa0707865)
Association of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus with C8orf13BLK and ITGAMITGAX
Geoffrey Hom, Ph.D., Robert R. Graham, Ph.D., Barmak Modrek, Ph.D., Kimberly E. Taylor, Ph.D., M.P.H., Ward Ortmann, B.S., Sophie Garnier, Ph.D., Annette T. Lee, Ph.D., Sharon A. Chung, M.D., Ricardo C. Ferreira, B.S., P.V. Krishna Pant, Ph.D., Dennis G. Ballinger, Ph.D., Roman Kosoy, Ph.D., F. Yesim Demirci, M.D., M. Ilyas Kamboh, Ph.D., Amy H. Kao, M.D., M.P.H., Chao Tian, B.S., Iva Gunnarsson, M.D., Ph.D., Anders A. Bengtsson, M.D., Ph.D., Solbritt Rantapää-Dahlqvist, M.D., Ph.D., Michelle Petri, M.D., Susan Manzi, M.D., M.P.H., Michael F. Seldin, M.D., Ph.D., Lars Rönnblom, M.D., Ph.D., Ann-Christine Syvänen, Ph.D., Lindsey A. Criswell, M.D., M.P.H., Peter K. Gregersen, M.D., and Timothy W. Behrens, M.D.
Background Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a clinicallyheterogeneous disease in which the risk of disease is influencedby complex genetic and environmental contributions. Allelesof HLA-DRB1, IRF5, and STAT4 are established susceptibilitygenes; there is strong evidence for the existence of additionalrisk loci.
Methods We genotyped more than 500,000 single-nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs) in DNA samples from 1311 case subjects with SLE and 1783control subjects; all subjects were North Americans of Europeandescent. Genotypes from 1557 additional control subjects wereobtained from public data repositories. We measured the associationbetween the SNPs and SLE after applying strict quality-controlfilters to reduce technical artifacts and to correct for thepresence of population stratification. Replication of the toploci was performed in 793 case subjects and 857 control subjectsfrom Sweden.
Results Genetic variation in the region upstream from the transcriptioninitiation site of the gene encoding B lymphoid tyrosine kinase(BLK) and C8orf13 (chromosome 8p23.1) was associated with diseaserisk in both the U.S. and Swedish case–control series(rs13277113; odds ratio, 1.39; P=1x10–10) and also withaltered levels of messenger RNA in B-cell lines. In addition,variants on chromosome 16p11.22, near the genes encoding integrinalpha M (ITGAM, or CD11b) and integrin alpha X (ITGAX), wereassociated with SLE in the combined sample (rs11574637; oddsratio, 1.33; P=3x10–11).
Conclusions We identified and then confirmed through replicationtwo new genetic loci for SLE: a promoter-region allele associatedwith reduced expression of BLK and increased expression of C8orf13and variants in the ITGAM–ITGAX region.
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune diseasewith strong genetic and environmental components.1,2,3 Autoantibodiesplay an important role in the pathogenesis of SLE, and the diverseclinical manifestations of the disease are caused by the depositionof antibody-containing immune complexes in blood vessels, leadingto inflammation in the kidney, brain, and skin. Direct pathogeniceffects of the autoantibodies contribute to hemolytic anemiaand thrombocytopenia.
During the past 20 years, many linkage and candidate-gene studieshave been performed to identify genetic factors contributingto a susceptibility to SLE. For example, haplotypes carryingthe HLA class II alleles DRB1*0301 and DRB1*1501 are clearlyassociated with SLE and the presence of antibodies to nuclearautoantigens.4,5,6 More recently, variants of the genes encodinginterferon regulatory factor 5 (IRF5) and signal transducerand activator of transcription 4 (STAT4) have been discoveredto be risk factors for SLE.7,8,9,10 The identification of IRF5and STAT4 as SLE risk genes supports the hypothesis that thetype I interferon pathway is central to disease pathogenesis.11,12,13,14
In this report, we describe the results of a genomewide scanof samples from North American subjects of European descent(1311 case subjects with SLE and 3340 control subjects) anda replication analysis of Swedish case–control subjects.We identify two novel genetic loci — C8orf13–BLKand ITGAM–ITGAX — that contribute to the risk ofSLE.
Methods
Subjects
Case subjects included 1435 patients with SLE for whom DNA sampleswere obtained from the following collections: 338 from the AutoimmuneBiomarkers Collaborative Network, a repository funded by theNational Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and SkinDiseases15; 141 from the Multiple Autoimmune Disease GeneticsConsortium16; 613 from the University of California, San Francisco(UCSF), Lupus Genetics Project10,17; 335 from the Universityof Pittsburgh Medical Center18; and 8 from the Feinstein Institutefor Medical Research. The European descent of all case subjectswith SLE was determined by self-report with the use of a multiple-choicequestionnaire. (In general, subjects needed to have at leastthree grandparents of European origin.) The diagnosis of SLE(fulfillment of four or more of the criteria of the AmericanCollege of Rheumatology [ACR]19) was confirmed in all casesby review of medical records (for 94% of case subjects) or bywritten documentation of criteria by the treating rheumatologist(6%). Clinical data were reviewed and tabulated at each institution.The counts and percentages for each of the 11 ACR classificationcriteria for SLE19 are listed in Table 1 of the Supplementary Appendix(available with the full text of this article at www.nejm.org).
A total of 3583 samples from control subjects were examinedin the association analyses. As part of this project, 1861 controlsamples from the New York Cancer Project collection20 were selectedand then genotyped on the basis of self-described ancestralorigin, sex, and age. In addition, genotype data from 1722 controlsamples (all self-described North Americans of European descent)were obtained from the publicly available iControlDB database(www.illumina.com/pages.ilmn?ID=231).
To test for replication, we genotyped DNA from an independentcollection of samples from 793 Swedish patients with SLE (allof whom fulfilled four or more of the classification criteriafor SLE, as defined by the ACR) and 857 healthy Swedish controlsubjects. The patients were from rheumatology clinics at theLund, Uppsala, Karolinska (Solna), and Umeå UniversityHospitals.7 The institutional review board at each collaboratingcenter approved the study, and all subjects gave informed writtenconsent.
Genotyping
A total of 1861 samples from control subjects from the New YorkCancer Project were genotyped on the Illumina HumanHap550 GenotypingBeadChip21 at the Feinstein Institute. A total of 1465 samples(464 from case subjects and 1001 from control subjects) weregenotyped on the HumanHap550v1 chip, and 1875 samples (1015from case subjects and 860 from control subjects) were genotypedon the HumanHap550v3 chip. Genotype data from 1452 of the controlsamples were submitted to iControlDB and made publicly availablein 2007. An additional, independent set of 1722 samples thatwere genotyped on the HumanHap550 BeadChip was obtained fromstudies 66 and 67 of the iControlDB. Samples from case subjectswere genotyped at the Feinstein Institute in serial phases;series 1 consisted of the 479 case subjects from the AutoimmuneBiomarkers Collaborative Network and Multiple Autoimmune DiseaseGenetics Consortium, series 2 consisted of the 613 case subjectsfrom the UCSF Lupus Genetics Project, and series 3 consistedof the 387 case subjects from the University of Pittsburgh MedicalCenter and the Feinstein Institute. The 545,080 single-nucleotidepolymorphisms (SNPs) present on both HumanHap550 versions 1and 3 were advanced into the analysis. Case and control sampleswith average call rates of less than 80% across the chip underwentrepeated genotyping.
In the Swedish series, the SNPs rs11574637 (ITGAM–ITGAX)and rs13277113 (C8orf13–BLK) were genotyped with the useof homogeneous single-base extension assays with fluorescencepolarization detection at the SNP Technology Platform in Uppsala(www.genotyping.se) and reagents (PerkinElmer).22 The genotypecall rate in the samples was 96%, and the reproducibility was100%, on the basis of duplicate assays of 4.6% of the genotypes.Samples from a three-generation pedigree from the Centre d'Etudedu Polymorphisme Humain (CEPH) with 20 members were genotypedin parallel with the study samples, and no deviation from mendelianinheritance was observed for either of the SNPs.
Data-Quality Filters
Details on the data-quality filters used in the study, testsfor association and for heterogeneity among the three case–controlstudies, and removal of population outliers with the use ofEIGENSTRAT software23 are available in the Supplementary Appendix.Series 1 consisted of 411 case subjects and 1047 control subjects,series 2 consisted of 595 case subjects and 1516 control subjects,and series 3 consisted of 305 case subjects and 777 controlsubjects. Overall, women accounted for 93% of case subjectsand 62% of control subjects. No significant differences in allelefrequencies were noted between men and women.
A total of 3323 SNPs were removed because more than 2% of datawere missing in at least one series or missing data were unequallydistributed between case and control subjects (differentialmissingness, P<1x10–3). Another 13 SNPs in the pseudoautosomalregion of chromosome X showed no significant association andwere excluded from further analysis. Filtering of samples andmarkers was conducted with the use of analytical modules withinthe PLINK software program.24 For each series, a total of 502,033SNPs were advanced into downstream analyses.
Gene-Expression Analysis
We examined gene expression in B-cell lines transformed by theEpstein–Barr virus (EBV) from 210 unrelated, healthy HapMapsubjects (GENEVAR project, www.sanger.ac.uk/humgen/genevar/)25and an independent set of 400 EBV-transformed B cells.26 Additionaldetails regarding these analyses are available in the Supplementary Appendix.
Statistical Analysis
The association between all SNPs and a susceptibility to SLEwas calculated with the use of two-by-two contingency tables.A genomic control inflation factor (gc) was then calculatedfor each sample series.27 The genomic control inflation factoris a metric based on the median chi-square that reflects whetherthe bulk of the distribution conforms to the null hypothesis(gc=1.0). A gc value of more than 1 indicates an elevation ofthe average chi-square association statistic owing to systemictechnical artifacts or the presence of population stratification.The 50 loci with the strongest associations are listed in Table2 of the Supplementary Appendix, and the corrected summary statisticsof population stratification for all SNPs passing quality-controlfilters from each series and the combined association statisticsare available from dbGAP (accession number phs000122.v1.p1).
Results
Genomewide Association Analysis
A total of 502,033 SNPs on the Illumina chips passed quality-controlfilters and were tested for association with SLE in a stagedfashion with the use of three case–control series (Table 1).A combined association statistic was calculated by the additionof the z scores converted from the EIGENSTRAT-corrected chi-squaretest statistic,23 weighted for series size and adjusted forthe residual gc of each series (see the Supplementary Appendix).
Table 1. Summary of Samples from 1311 Case Subjects and 3340 Control Subjects in the Genomewide Association Study.
A comparison of the observed P values for the meta-analysiswith the P values for a null distribution is shown in Figure 1A.Significant deviation from the null distribution was observedat the tail of the distribution, which may indicate the presenceof true positive associations. A strong association with SLEwas noted for three established risk loci. In the HLA classII region, rs2187668 is a near perfect predictor of the DRB1*0301allele28 and was the variant most strongly associated with SLEin the combined analysis (P=3x10–21). An additional 157SNPs in the HLA region, many of which are correlated with theDRB1*0301 allele, had observed P values of less than 5x10–7(Figure 1B). A strong association was observed with variantslinked to the well-validated risk haplotype of IRF5 (e.g., rs10488631;P=2x10–11).7,8,9 In addition, an association with STAT4was observed (rs7574865, P=9x10–14). An association betweenSTAT4 variants and both SLE and rheumatoid arthritis was reportedrecently.10 Our SLE data set overlaps with that of the earlierstudy10 and includes an additional 341 case subjects and 2905control subjects who were not included in the previous analysis.After removing variants in HLA, IRF5, and STAT4 from the expectedversus observed chi-square analysis, a deviation of P valuesfrom the null distribution remained, suggesting the existenceof novel SLE loci (Figure 1A). Multiple SNPs near the B lymphoidtyrosine kinase (BLK) gene and in a region that contains theintegrin alpha M (ITGAM) and integrin alpha X (ITGAX) geneswere highly associated with SLE in the combined analysis (Figure 1B).Neither of these genes or regions has previously been implicatedin SLE susceptibility.
Figure 1. Identification of Five Major Loci Associated with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in a Genomewide Association Study.
Data represent 502,033 variants of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that were genotyped in three series of DNA samples from 1311 case subjects and 3340 control subjects. Panel A shows a quantile–quantile plot of the observed P value distribution, as compared with the expected null P value distribution. The black diamonds represent all P values, and the blue diamonds represent P values after the exclusion of variants in the HLA region, IRF5, and STAT4. Panel B shows the –log10 P values from the combined analysis, according to chromosome. Not shown in Panel B are an additional 34 variants in the HLA region with P<1x10–13.
C8orf13–BLK
Several variants on the short arm of chromosome 8 (8p23.1) wereassociated with SLE (Figure 2 and Table 2, and Table 5 of theSupplementary Appendix). The A allele of rs13277113 was highlyenriched in the sample from U.S. case subjects as compared withcontrols (P=8x10–8; combined odds ratio, 1.39; 95% confidenceinterval [CI], 1.26 to 1.54). To confirm this initial observation,an independent collection of 793 samples from SLE case subjectsand 857 matched controls from Sweden was typed for rs13277113,and a convincing association between the minor A allele andSLE was also observed (P=4x10–4; odds ratio, 1.33; 95%CI, 1.13 to 1.55) (Table 2). A combined analysis of rs13277113with the use of both the U.S. and Swedish samples showed P=1x10–10,which meets the rigorous criterion of P<5x10–8 forthe significance of a genomewide association.31
Figure 2. Correlation of Variants in C8orf13–BLK with Expression Levels in Transformed B Cells.
Panel A shows the –log10 P values from the C8orf13–BLK region. The colors of the diamonds represent the r2 correlations with rs13277113. All genes in the region (from the Reference Sequence database of the National Center for Biotechnology Information) are displayed above a plot showing the linkage disequilibrium in the region, as determined by analysis of control chromosomes. Blocks connecting pairs of SNPs are shaded according to the strength of the linkage disequilibrium between the SNPs, from 0.0 (white) to 1.0 (bright red), as measured by the disequilibrium coefficient D'. This associated region on chromosome 8 lies within a common polymorphic 4.2-Mb intrachromosomal inversion29,30 and is associated with unusually low levels of extended linkage disequilibrium across the region, as shown. However, the association between C8orf13–BLK and systemic lupus erythematosus is independent of the inversion. The expression of BLK (Panel B) and C8orf13 (Panel C) in transformed B-cell lines from 210 unrelated, healthy HapMap founders is shown, stratified according to genotype at rs13277113. The significance of the differential expression was determined with the use of unpaired Student's t-tests.
Table 2. Association between Variants in C8orf13–BLK and ITGAM–ITGAX and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in a Genomewide Association Study, a Replication Series, and an Analysis of the Combined Studies.
The SNP rs13277113 maps to the interval between two genes transcribedin opposite directions: BLK, a tyrosine kinase in the src familythat signals downstream of the B-cell receptor, and C8orf13,a ubiquitously expressed gene of unknown function (Figure 2).No known coding-region variants of BLK or C8orf13 are in linkagedisequilibrium with rs13277113.
Common genetic variation has been shown to correlate with levelsof cis gene expression.25,26,32 Using a gene-expression dataset generated from transformed B-cell lines of 210 unrelatedHapMap samples,25 we observed that the risk A allele of rs13277113was associated with lower levels of messenger RNA (mRNA) expressionof BLK (Figure 2B). Homozygotes for the A allele had a levelof expression that was approximately 50% of that of homozygotesfor the G allele, and A/G heterozygotes had intermediate levels.The expression of the C8orf13 gene also correlated with therisk haplotype, but in the opposite direction. The A alleleof rs13277113 was associated with higher expression of C8orf13in the transformed lines, whereas the G allele was significantlyassociated with lower expression (Figure 2C). Again, A/G heterozygotesshowed intermediate levels of expression. The expression ofa number of control mRNAs (e.g., beta-actin and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphatedehydrogenase [GAPDH]) did not vary in the cell lines on thebasis of genotype at rs13277113 (Table 3 of the Supplementary Appendix).Consistent allelic differences in BLK expression with statisticalsignificance were observed in all HapMap populations, exceptthe Yoruba population, in which the risk allele is less frequent(Table 4 of the Supplementary Appendix). These results wereconfirmed by analysis of another expression data set obtainedfrom an independent sample of 400 transformed B-cell lines.26In this data set, a marker in linkage disequilibrium with rs13277113(rs4840568, r2=0.77) was associated with both decreased expressionof BLK (P=9x10–27, probe 206255_at) and increased expressionof C8orf13 (P=5x10–35, probe 226614_s_at), with effectsizes similar to those observed in the HapMap data set.
Multiple conserved sites of transcription-factor binding, includingmotifs for interferon regulatory factor 1 (IRF1), peroxisomeproliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARG), and an interferon-stimulatedresponse element, are located in the 5' region of BLK and C8orf13.However, neither rs13277113 nor variants in linkage disequilibrium(r2>0.5) altered known sites of transcription-factor bindingor other known functional nucleic acid motifs. We conclude thatrs13277113, or a variation that is strongly associated withrs13277113, alters the level of mRNA expression of BLK and C8orf13.
ITGAM–ITGAX
Variants within a cluster of genes encoding the integrin alphachains on chromosome 16 were also significantly associated withSLE (Table 2 and Figure 3). Reproducible association of theC allele of rs11574637 was observed across the three seriesof SLE cases (P=5x10–7; odds ratio, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.17to 1.45). The C allele of rs11574637 showed similarly strongenrichment in the Swedish replication series (P=4x10–7;odds ratio, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.33 to 1.91) (Table 2), and combinedanalysis showed a combined P value of 3x10–11 (Table 2).
Figure 3. Correlation of Variants in ITGAM–ITGAX with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.
Panel A shows the –log10 P values from the ITGAM–ITGAX region. The colors of the diamonds represent the r2 correlations with rs11574637. All genes in the region (from the Reference Sequence database of the National Center for Biotechnology Information) are displayed above a plot showing the linkage disequilibrium in the region, as determined by analysis of control chromosomes. Blocks connecting pairs of SNPs are shaded according to the strength of the linkage disequilibrium between the SNPs, from 0.0 (white) to 1.0 (bright red), as measured by the disequilibrium coefficient D'. Panel B depicts the genomic structure of ITGAM, the conserved major protein domains, and the relationship between rs11574637 and two nonsynonymous alleles of ITGAM.
SNP rs11574637 is part of a block of correlated SNPs that coversapproximately 150 kb and encodes several genes, including ITGAMand the 5' portion of ITGAX (Figure 3A). Both ITGAM and ITGAXare expressed at detectable levels in EBV-transformed B cells,but rs11574637 was not significantly associated with mRNA levelsof either gene (data not shown).
Of potential interest is the observation that in the North Americancontrol subjects, rs11574637 was correlated with two nonsynonymousvariants of ITGAM. The first SNP, rs1143678 (r2=0.85), resultsin a Pro1146Ser substitution (association with SLE, P=3x10–5).The C allele of rs11574637 and the 1146Ser allele form a haplotypeon 18.2% of control chromosomes; the C allele is also presenton a distinct haplotype that is present on approximately 2%of chromosomes from controls lacking the 1146Ser allele. Thesecond nonsynonymous SNP, rs1143683 (r2=0.45 in HapMap CEU [CEPHUtah residents with ancestry from northern and western Europe]),results in an Ala858Val substitution and was not directly genotypedin this study. At this time it is not known whether the ITGAMnonsynonymous variants or additional alleles underlie the associationwithin the ITGAM–ITGAX region.
Discussion
By studying a large number of patients with SLE (1311) and aneven larger group of control subjects (3340), we had excellentpower to detect associations between SLE and genetic variants.The strong associations between SLE and SNPs in the HLA region,IRF5, and STAT4 serve as positive controls for the experimentand confirm that these loci confer susceptibility to SLE.
The src family tyrosine kinase BLK is an interesting new candidategene for SLE. Expression of BLK is highly restricted to theB-cell lineage.33Blk expression in mice is first observed incycling late pro-B cells, continues throughout B-cell development,and is subsequently down-regulated in plasma B cells.34 Micethat are deficient in Blk have no gross phenotype,35 and weare not aware of studies of the function of BLK in human B cells.It has been hypothesized that BLK is one of the tyrosine kinasesthat transduces signals downstream of the B-cell receptor andthat it has a redundant role in mice (given the lack of a phenotypein Blk-deficient mice). There is a precedent for major speciesdifferences in the role of kinases associated with the B-cellreceptor. For example, in humans, a deficiency in Bruton's tyrosinekinase (BTK) leads to X-linked agammaglobulinemia and a completelack of B cells.36 However, deficiency of Btk in mice is associatedwith a much milder phenotype.37
B-cell–receptor signaling is important for establishingthe B-cell repertoire through induction of anergy, deletion,and receptor editing during B-cell development.38,39 As ourstudy shows, the risk allele at BLK is associated with reducedexpression of BLK mRNA in transformed B-cell lines. We speculatethat altered protein levels of BLK might influence tolerancemechanisms in B cells, predisposing persons to systemic autoimmunity.A similar mechanism has recently been shown for Ly108, one ofthe major genetic loci in the NZM2410 mouse model of lupus.40Our data also suggest an effect of the risk haplotype on expressionof the ubiquitously expressed gene C8orf13, but the functionof this gene is currently unknown.
We identified a second locus, ITGAM–ITGAX. Although wecannot exclude ITGAX because of the strong linkage disequilibriumin the region that extends into its 5' region, we think thatvariants of ITGAM are driving the association. ITGAM (also knownas CD11b, Mac-1, and complement receptor type 3) is a well-characterizedmolecule in the integrin alpha chain family that is expressedby a variety of myeloid cell types, including dendritic cells,macrophages, monocytes, and neutrophils.41,42,43 ITGAM formsa heterodimer with integrin beta-2 (ITGB2, or CD18) and mediatesadhesion between cell types in the immune system and the adhesionof myeloid cells to endothelium.44 Mice that are deficient inITGAM have enhanced disease progression and inflammation inseveral models of autoimmunity,45,46,47 including lupus. ITGAMmay suppress differentiation of helper T-cell type 17 (Th17),48a pathway that has been linked with induction of autoimmunity.Moreover, ITGAM expression has been reported to be elevatedon neutrophils from patients with active SLE.49
In summary, we have identified two new susceptibility loci forSLE: BLK–C8orf13 on chromosome 8 and ITGAM–ITGAXon chromosome 16. The most likely candidate genes within thesetwo loci are BLK and ITGAM. Further dissection of these geneticloci is warranted, as are investigations to determine whetherthe variants contribute to the risk of other autoimmune disorders.
Supported by grants (NO1-AR1-2256 and NO1-AI95386, to Dr. Gregersen)from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the collectionsof the Autoimmune Biomarkers Collaborative Network and the MultipleAutoimmune Disease Genetics Consortium; grants (R01-AR44804and K24-AR02175) from the NIH, a Kirkland Scholar Award, anda grant from the Rosalind Russell Medical Research Center forArthritis (all to Dr. Criswell); a grant (5-M01-RR00079) tothe Moffitt Hospital, University of California, San Francisco,from the National Center for Research Resources; a grant (AR050267,to Dr. Seldin) from the NIH; a grant (AR43737) from the NIHto the Hopkins Lupus Cohort; a grant (M01-RR00052) from theNIH to the Johns Hopkins University Outpatient General ClinicalResearch Center; grants (RO1-AR046588, to Dr. Manzi; and NHLBI-HL54900and HL74165, to Dr. Kamboh) from the NIH; grants from the SwedishResearch Council for Medicine (to Dr. Syvänen); a grantfrom the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation to the SNP TechnologyPlatform in Uppsala; grants from the Swedish Research Councilfor Medicine, the Swedish Rheumatism Association, the King GustafV 80-Year Foundation, and the Ulla and Roland Gustafsson Foundation(all to Dr. Rönnblom); a grant from the King Gustaf V 80-YearFoundation (to Dr. Gunnarsson); and a grant (K23-AR051044, toDr. Kao) from the NIH.
Drs. Hom, Graham, Modrek, and Behrens and Mr. Ortmann and Mr.Ferreira report being employees of Genentech and having an equityinterest in the company; Drs. Pant and Ballinger, being employeesof Perlegen Sciences and having an equity interest in the company;Dr. Ballinger, also having an equity interest in Genentech andAmgen; Dr. Manzi, receiving grant support from Genentech; Dr.Criswell, receiving consulting fees from Celera; and Dr. Gregersen,serving on the Abbott Scholar Award Advisory Committee and receivinghonoraria from Biogen Idec, Genentech, and Roche Pharmaceuticals.No other potential conflict of interest relevant to this articlewas reported.
We thank Anthony Liew, Houman Khalili, and Alamelu Chandrasekaranfor their assistance with genotyping; Alkes Price and Nick Pattersonfor their assistance with EIGENSTRAT software; and members ofthe Molecular Medicine group in Uppsala for their assistancewith genotyping.
Source Information
The authors' affiliations are listed in the Appendix. Drs. Hom and Graham contributed equally to this article. This article (10.1056/NEJMoa0707865) was published at www.nejm.org on January 20, 2008. It will appear in the February 28 issue of the Journal.
Address reprint requests to Dr. Behrens at Genentech, 1 DNA Way, 45-3B, South San Francisco, CA 94080, or at behrens.timothy{at}gene.com.
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Appendix
The following is a list of the authors' affiliations: Genentech,South San Francisco, CA (G.H., R.R.G., B.M., W.O., R.C.F., T.W.B.);University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco (K.E.T.,S.A.C., L.A.C.); Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden (S.G.,A.-C.S., L.R.); Feinstein Institute for Medical Research–LongIsland Jewish Health System, Manhasset, NY (A.T.L., P.K.G.);Perlegen Sciences, Mountain View, CA (P.V.K.P., D.G.B.); Universityof California at Davis, Davis (R.K., C.T., M.F.S.); Universityof Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh (F.Y.D., M.I.K., A.H.K.,S.M.); Karolinska Institutet–Karolinska University Hospital,Stockholm (I.G.); Lund University Hospital, Lund, Sweden. (A.A.B.);Umeå University Hospital, Umeå, Sweden (S.R.-D.);and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore (M.P.).
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