Unravelling the Shared Genetic Mechanisms Underlying 18 Autoimmune Diseases Using a Systems Approach.

ABSTRACT: Autoimmune diseases (AiDs) are complex heterogeneous diseases characterized by hyperactive immune responses against self. Genome-wide association studies have identified thousands of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with several AiDs. While these studies have identified a handful of pleiotropic loci that confer risk to multiple AiDs, they lack the power to detect shared genetic factors residing outside of these loci. Here, we integrated chromatin contact, expression quantitative trait loci and protein-protein interaction (PPI) data to identify genes that are regulated by both pleiotropic and non-pleiotropic SNPs. The PPI analysis revealed complex interactions between the shared and disease-specific genes. Furthermore, pathway enrichment analysis demonstrated that the share

SUBMITTER: Gokuladhas S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8415031 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature