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Intraocular pressure (IOP) is a highly heritable risk factor for primary open-angle glaucoma and is the only target for current glaucoma therapy. The genetic factors which determine IOP are largely unknown. We performed a genome-wide association study for IOP in 11,972 participants from 4 independent population-based studies in The Netherlands. We replicated our findings in 7,482 participants from 4 additional cohorts from the UK, Australia, Canada, and the Wellcome Trust Case-Control Consortium 2/Blue Mountains Eye Study. IOP was significantly associated with rs11656696, located in GAS7 at 17p13.1 (p = 1.4 x 10\(^{-8}\)), and with rs7555523, located in TMCO1 at 1q24.1 (p = 1.6 x 10\(^{-8}\)). In a meta-analysis of 4 case-control studies (total N = 1,432 glaucoma cases), both variants also showed evidence for association with glaucoma (p = 2.4 x 10\(^{-2}\) for rs11656696 and p = 9.1 x 10\(^{-4}\) for rs7555523). GAS7 and TMCO1 are highly expressed in the ciliary body and trabecular meshwork as well as in the lamina cribrosa, optic nerve, and retina. Both genes functionally interact with known glaucoma disease genes. These data suggest that we have identified two clinically relevant genes involved in IOP regulation.
Introduction:
Individuals carrying pathogenic mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes have a high lifetime risk of breast cancer. BRCA1 and BRCA2 are involved in DNA double-strand break repair, DNA alterations that can be caused by exposure to reactive oxygen species, a main source of which are mitochondria. Mitochondrial genome variations affect electron transport chain efficiency and reactive oxygen species production. Individuals with different mitochondrial haplogroups differ in their metabolism and sensitivity to oxidative stress. Variability in mitochondrial genetic background can alter reactive oxygen species production, leading to cancer risk. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that mitochondrial haplogroups modify breast cancer risk in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers.
Methods:
We genotyped 22,214 (11,421 affected, 10,793 unaffected) mutation carriers belonging to the Consortium of Investigators of Modifiers of BRCA1/2 for 129 mitochondrial polymorphisms using the iCOGS array. Haplogroup inference and association detection were performed using a phylogenetic approach. ALTree was applied to explore the reference mitochondrial evolutionary tree and detect subclades enriched in affected or unaffected individuals.
Results:
We discovered that subclade T1a1 was depleted in affected BRCA2 mutation carriers compared with the rest of clade T (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.55; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.34 to 0.88; P = 0.01). Compared with the most frequent haplogroup in the general population (that is, H and T clades), the T1a1 haplogroup has a HR of 0.62 (95% CI, 0.40 to 0.95; P = 0.03). We also identified three potential susceptibility loci, including G13708A/rs28359178, which has demonstrated an inverse association with familial breast cancer risk.
Conclusions:
This study illustrates how original approaches such as the phylogeny-based method we used can empower classical molecular epidemiological studies aimed at identifying association or risk modification effects.
Ten monoclonal antibodies (McAbs) raised to Schistosoma japonicum eggs could be assigned using several serological and immunochemical techniques to 3 groups. The McAbs, termed A, B and C-McAbs, apparently recognize carbohydrate epitopes that can be located on the same antigen molecule. The antibodies, generally of IgM isotype, are idiotypically related. They are distinct from another IgM McAb (Group D-McAb) the carbohydrate target epitope of which can also be associated with the epitopes of A. B and C-McAbs. The McAbs produce large vacuolated bleb reactions in the circumoval precipitin test (COPT) and target epitopes have different representations in various life cycle stages such as immature and mature eggs, male and female worms (including S. mansoni). Antigens affinity purified on columns containing A, B, C and D-McAbs stimulate proliferation of T cells from egg-sensitized mice and elicit DTH reactions in such mice. This raises the possibility that the target antigens of these carbohydrate-reactive monoclonal antibodies are immunopathologic and involved in egg-induced granuloma formation.