REVIEW URRENT C OPINION

Update on primary sclerosing cholangitis genetics Eva K.K. Henriksen a,b, Espen Melum a,b, and Tom H. Karlsen a,b,c

Purpose of review The pathogenesis of primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) involves heritable factors. This review summarizes the recent genetic studies and discusses the implications of identified risk loci. Recent findings A total of 16 PSC susceptibility loci have been identified in genome-wide association studies and related study designs. At least 33 additional loci are involved in what is increasingly acknowledged to represent a general pool of genetic risk loci for immune-mediated diseases. One important group of genes is part of well characterized immune pathways (e.g. interleukin 2 signaling), whereas for other loci the relationship to PSC pathophysiology is less evident. Importantly, the loci collectively account for only 7.3% of overall PSC liability, thus pointing to a large contribution from environmental factors to PSC development. The individual PSC risk genes cannot be interpreted within a simple cause–effect model used for monogenic traits, but need to be explored for their individual biological correlates, preferably in a disease context. To some extent, as exemplified for the human leukocyte antigen and FUT2 associations, genetic findings may guide the discovery of interacting and co-occuring environmental susceptibility factors. Summary Multiple PSC susceptibility loci are now available for exploration in experimental model systems and patient-centered research. Keywords genome-wide association study, primary sclerosing cholangitis

INTRODUCTION In genetic terms, primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a complex phenotype, that is a phenotype caused by interplay of genetics and environment. The heritable contribution to PSC is comparable to most other autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, with PSC occurring in first-degree relatives of patients slightly more than 10 times as frequently as in the general population [1]. Recent genome-wide association studies (GWASs) (Table 1) [2–4,5 –7 ] provide an increasing level of clarity on the role of the specific genetic factors involved in this heritability. At the time of writing, a total of 16 PSC risk loci (Table 2) [8–48] have been reported at a significance threshold robust to strict statistical correction of multiple testing and risk of type 1 errors (i.e. genome-wide significance, P < 5  108). Several additional disease loci (at least 33) likely exist (Table 3) [7 ]. Investigators are already perusing this information in designing experiments for elucidation of PSC pathogenesis. But what information pertains? In the present review, we will survey the current knowledge on genetics of PSC with a particular emphasis on this question, and discuss how the answer has &&

implications for post-GWAS translational and genetic research.

THE UPDATED GENE LIST AND PLEIOTROPY In principle, two broad categories of risk loci have been shown to associate with PSC so far. First, there is a category of risk loci involving genes encoding molecules serving key components of adaptive and

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a Division of Cancer Medicine, Surgery and Transplantation, Department of Transplantation Medicine, Norwegian PSC Research Center, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, bDivision of Cancer Medicine, Surgery and Transplantation, K.G. Jebsen Inflammation Research Centre, Research Institute of Internal Medicine, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, Oslo and cDepartment of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway

Correspondence to Professor Tom H. Karlsen, MD, PhD, Division of Cancer Medicine, Surgery and Transplantation, Department of Transplantation Medicine, Norwegian PSC Research Center, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, Postboks 4950 Nydalen, N-0424 Oslo, Norway. Tel: +47 2307 2469; fax: +47 2307 3928; e-mail: t.h.karlsen@medisin. uio.no Curr Opin Gastroenterol 2014, 30:310–319 DOI:10.1097/MOG.0000000000000052 Volume 30  Number 3  May 2014

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Update on primary sclerosing cholangitis genetics Henriksen et al.

KEY POINTS  A total of 16 risk loci have been identified in PSC at genome-wide significance level.  The 16 risk loci collectively account for 7.3% of the overall PSC liability.  Environmental factors interact with several of the identified risk loci and make up the majority of the overall PSC liability.

individual loci. It is important to acknowledge that the concepts coming from the genetics of monogenic cholestatic traits (e.g. progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis and cystic fibrosis cholangiopathy) are not valid when assessing the PSC genetics. The risk variants associating with PSC do not occur in all patients, and, indeed, occur in the healthy population even in the homozygous form. Two striking features are apparent when considering the loci collectively. First, as reviewed elsewhere [49 ], all loci show associations in other prototypical autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis. Secondly, half of the loci show significantly stronger associations in PSC than in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) [7 ]. Deriving from the profound overlap in genetic associations between immune-mediated diseases, in genetic terminology called pleiotropy, the initiating factors in PSC pathogenesis are likely to share features with those known to involve in these genetically related diseases. The pleiotropic findings have implication to the ongoing disputes as to whether a toxic bile duct insult or immune-mediated bile duct destruction serves as the initiating event in PSC. Although from genetic data, it seems likely that immune perturbations occur prior to bile acid toxicity, the two schools are not mutually exclusive. Throughout disease course in PSC, cholestasis and dysregulation of bile acid metabolism and transport increase, and there is also cross-talk &

 Experimental research on identified loci needs to be incorporated with the existing models of sclerosing cholangitis and patient data.

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innate immunity. These genes include IL2/IL21, IL2RA, BACH2, TNFRSF14, CD28 and CD226. The second category of loci involves genes on which knowledge on function exists, but for which the relationship to immune function and PSC pathogenesis is less clear. These genes include BCL2L11, MST1, HDAC7, SH2B3, TCF4, SIK2, GPR35, PRKD2 and PSMG1. It is useful to provide separate considerations for the chromosome 6p21 region, known to harbor the major histocompatibility complex that encodes the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I and class II molecules. The most fruitful interpretations of the outcome of genetics in PSC so far are not made on the basis of

Table 1. List of recent genetic studies reporting on genome-wide significant risk loci (P < 5  108) in primary sclerosing cholangitis N patients

Study (year)

N controls

Participating countries

GWS loci

Karlsen et al. [2] (2010)

285

298

Norway

MHC

Melum et al. [3] (2011)

1740

5136

Norway, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and the United States

MHC, BCL2L11 and MST1

992

5162

United Kingdom (primary study) along with Norway, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and the United States (for the meta-analysis)

MST1 and IL2RA

1936

6470

Norway, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and the United States

TNFRSF14/MMEL1

Srivastava et al. [4] (2012)

Folseraas et al. [5 ] (2012) &&

Ellinghaus et al. [6 ] (2013)

1401

5530

Germany, Norway and Sweden

GPR35 and TCF4

Liu et al. [7 ] (2013)

3789

25079

Pan European, the United States and Canada

MHC, MMEL1-TNFRSF14, CD28, MST1, IL2/IL21, BACH2, IL2RA, SIK2, HDAC7, SH2B3/ATXN2, CD226, PRKD2/STRN4 and PSMG1

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GWS, genome-wide significant; MHC; major histocompatibility complex. For gene name abbreviations, see http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/.

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Biliary tract Table 2. List of the 15 primary sclerosing cholangitis susceptibility loci identified at genome-wide significance (P < 5  108) outside of the major histocompatibility complex (chromosome 6p21, the 16th locus)

Chromosome

Main candidate gene(s)

Human monogenic traits

1p36

TNFRSF14



Diminished inflammatory response to DSS [8]; more susceptible to EAE [9]; decreased osteoclastogenesis via RANKL [10]; reduced severity of HSV-1 keratitis [11]; impaired renal Epo response to erythropoietic stress [12]; reduced body weight gain on high-fat diet and reduced adipose tissue macrophage and T-cell recruitment [13]; attenuated hepatitis after ConA injection [14], but increased morbidity in response to ConA in old mice [9]



MMEL1



Reduced fertility (male) [15]; elevations of total bamyloid in the hippocampus and diencephalon/ brainstem [16]

Racecadotril

2q13

BCL2L11



Accumulation of lymphoid and myleoid cells, and reduction of platelet number [17]; on the C57BL/6  129SV genetic background: most exhibit accumulation of plasma cells and development of progressive systemic autoimmune disease, including autoimmune kidney disease and lupus erythematosus [17]; protection from hepatitis after LCMV infection [18]; protection from anti-Fas induced liver damage [19]

Cyclophosphamide, glucocorticoids and HDAC inhibitors such as panobinostat (indirect)

2q33

CD28



Reduced basal immunoglobulin levels [20]; diminished Ig class switching after infection with vesicular stomatitis virus [20]

Abatacept and belatacept

2q37

GPR35



Increased systemic blood pressure [21]

Lodoxamide and aspirin

3p21

MST1



Lipid-filled cytoplasmic vacuoles in hepatocytes [22]

Crizotinib (indirect)

4q27

IL2



On BALB/c genetic background: generalized autoimmune disease, preferentially hemolytic anemia [23]; on 129/Ola x C57BL/6 genetic background: rapid onset of disease symptoms, with 50% mortality by 9 weeks; survivors develop ulcerative colitis-like disease with an age-related reduction in the number of B cells [24–26]; germ-free mice develop milder gastrointestinal inflammation [27]; inhibited LCMV-induced T cell expansion [28]

Tacrolimus, cyclosporine, calcitriol and corticosteroids (indirect)

IL21



Enhanced IgE isotype switch, expansion of IgE positive cells and IgE production [29]

NNC0114-0005

6q15

BACH2



Impaired differentiation of B cells and reduced B cell numbers [30]; increased production of IgM, but diminished concentrations of IgG subclasses and IgA [30]; deficient IgG responses associated with severe reduction in somatic hypermutation and class switch recombination [30]; progressive wasting disease and reduced survival [31,32]; PAP-like accumulation of surfactant proteins in the lungs and modest intestinal inflammation [31,32], accompanied by increased levels of autoantibodies [32]

Heme arginate (indirect)

10p15

IL2RA

Deficiency of interleukin 2 receptor a (OMIM606367)

Massive enlargement of peripheral lymphoid organs associated with expansion of B cells and T cells [33]; older mice develop autoimmune disorders, including inflammatory bowel disease and hemolytic anemia [33]

Aldesleukin, denileukin diftitox, daclizumab and basiliximab

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Main biological alterations observed in murine knockout models

Examples of relevant pharmacology

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Update on primary sclerosing cholangitis genetics Henriksen et al. Table 2 (Continued)

Chromosome

Main candidate gene(s)

Human monogenic traits

Main biological alterations observed in murine knockout models

11q23

SIK2



Protection from ischemic brain injury [34]

Glucagon (indirect)

12q13

HDAC7



Embryonic lethality due to vascular dilation and rupture caused by endothelial cell adhesion defects [35]; conditional deletion in the osteoclast lineage promotes osteoclastogenesis and bone resorption [36]

Valproic acid

12q24

SH2B3

Hematological malignanciesa

Changes in the hematopoietic stem cell compartment, including abnormal lymphoid and myleoid homeostasis and splenomegaly [37]; develop B cell precursor acute lymphoma following irradiation [38]



ATXN2

Spinocerebellar ataxia-2 (OMIM183090)

Reduced fertility, mild defect in motor learning and abnormal fear-related behaviors [39–41]; enlarged abdominal fat pad and seminal vesicles [40]; adult-onset obesity, reduced insulin receptor expression in cerebellum and liver, and increased insulin levels in pancreas and blood serum [40,41]; dyslipidemia and liver steatosis with accompanying cholestasis [40,41]



18q21

TCF4

Pitt–Hopkins syndrome (OMIM610954)

Die within 1 week after birth [42,43]; reduced capacity to generate pro-B cells [42]; disrupted pontine nucleus development [43]; specific reduction of plasmacytoid dendritic cells after activation of conditional allele [44]



18q22

CD226



Increased tumor formation and mortality following transplantation of CD155-expressing cells [45]; enhanced development of fibrosarcoma and papilloma in response to chemical carcinogens [45]; delayed clearance of LCMV [46]

Doxorubicin and melphalan (indirect)

19q13

PRKD2



Gene trap deletion results in no apparent phenotype [47]



STRN4



NA

Tamoxifen and trifluoperazine (indirect)

PSMG1



Early embryonic lethality [48]; conditional deletion in the liver results in premature hepatocyte senescence [48]; conditional deletion in the brain causes growth retardation and abnormal brain development [48]



21q22

Examples of relevant pharmacology

Along with each locus, key biological alterations associated with loss of gene function in humans and mice are given along with known examples of pharmacological interactions with affected pathways. Candidate genes and variants are not unambiguously identified for any of the loci, but are given for simplicity and to allow for interpretation of findings. a Somatic mutations. ConA, Concanavalin A; DSS, dextran sodium sulphate; EAE, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis; HSV, herpes simplex virus; LCMV, lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus; NA, not applicable; PAP, pulmonary alveolar proteinosis. The OMIM number refers to the access number in the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man database, see http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/omim. For gene name abbreviations, see http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/.

between immune regulation and these aspects [50,51]. The limited overlap between PSC and IBD in the most recent genetic analysis was surprising [7 ]. That half of the loci do not show robust associations in IBD indicate that PSC is more distinct from IBD than ulcerative colitis is from Crohn’s disease (ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease share at least 70% of the &&

&

loci [52 ]). At the level of statistical power exhibited by the PSC Immunochip study, it would have been expected that more of the 163 IBD loci also associate with PSC given the frequency of IBD in the study population of 72%. When GWASs on IBD were reporting on patient populations sized approximately at n ¼ 1500–3000, the number of loci detected was between 13 and 30 [53–56]. If IBD in PSC was

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Biliary tract Table 3. Pleotropic risk loci identified in the primary sclerosing cholangitis Immunochip study SNP

Main candidate gene(s)

Genes in region

rs4474277

SDHC

rs12479056

PUS10, REL

14

CD, CeD, Psor, RA, Sarc, T1D,UC

rs11676348

TGR5, CXCR1/2

10

CD, CeD, Psor, RA, Sarc, T1D,UC

3

rs7556897

Locus supported by phenotype RA

0

CD, Psor, RA, Sarc, T1D,UC

rs9819066

FOXP1

2

CD, CeD, Psor, RA, Sarc, T1D,UC

rs4482697

IQCB1

7

CeD

rs7636495

LRRC33

1

CeD

rs898518

LEF1

5

CeD

rs9378805

IRF4

1

CeD, RA, T1D

rs12210050

EXOC2

1

CeD, Psor, RA, Sarc, T1D, UC

rs535780

PRDM1

1

CD, Psor, RA, Sarc, T1D, UC

rs10956390

PVT1

3

CD, RA, UC

rs13255292

MIR1207

2

RA, T1D

rs2977035

MIR1208

1

CD, CeD, Psor, RA, Sarc, UC

rs6477901

ROD1

5

CD, CeD, Psor, RA, Sarc, T1D, UC

rs7923837

HHEX

3

CD, CeD, Psor, RA, Sarc, T1D, UC

rs10883371

NKX2-3

1

CD, CeD, Psor, RA, T1D, UC

rs11246286

CD151

18

CD, CeD, Psor, RA, Sarc, T1D, UC

rs694739

PRDX5

21

CD, CeD, Psor, RA, Sarc, T1D, UC

rs633683

CXCR5

9

CD, CeD, Psor, RA, Sarc, T1D, UC

rs12369214

RIC8B

7

CD, CeD, Psor, RA, Sarc, T1D, UC

rs7324586

MIR548F1

1

CD, Psor, UC

rs4983425

C14orf80

7

Psor, RA, UC

rs415595

SOCS1

6

CD, CeD, Psor, RA, Sarc, T1D, UC

rs7404095

PRKCB

2

UC

rs12149608

ZFP90

4

Psor, RA, Sarc, UC

rs4795397

ZPBP2

24

rs2847297

PTPN2

1

CD, CeD, Psor, RA, T1D, UC

rs17694108

SLC7A10

1

Psor, RA, Sarc, UC

rs601338

FUT2

rs715147

NFATC2

2

RA

rs11203203

UBASH3A

3

CD, CeD, Psor, RA, Sarc, T1D, UC

rs2838519

ICOSLG

5

CD, CeD, Psor, RA, Sarc, T1D, UC

15

RA

CD, Psor, Sarc

The table lists 33 loci achieving a false discovery rate

Update on primary sclerosing cholangitis genetics.

The pathogenesis of primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) involves heritable factors. This review summarizes the recent genetic studies and discusses t...
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