Identification of 46 genes that cause lupus… “Contribution to precision medicine possible”

Genome Analysis of 210,000 East Asians… Better understanding of genetic heterogeneity

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Jandi Kim = Researchers in Korea have identified a new causative gene associated with the outbreak of systemic lupus erythematosus (Lupus), an intractable autoimmune disease.

The research team led by Professor Sang-cheol Bae of the Department of Rheumatology at Hanyang University Rheumatology Hospital and Professor Kwang-woo Kim of the Department of Biology at Kyung Hee University presented the results of analyzing the genomes of 208,000 East Asians including Koreans.

This research is a project involving a total of 102 joint researchers belonging to 65 institutions around the world, including Korea, China, and Japan, and is the largest lupus gene research to date.

As a result of the analysis, it was the first in the world to discover 46 genes with genetic mutations associated with the outbreak of lupus.

Considering that there are only 100 genes that have been identified so far, the research team said that it is very meaningful to newly identify 46 genes.

Lupus is an autoimmune disease in which inflammation occurs throughout the body due to abnormalities in the immune system. It attacks not only the skin, but also all parts of our body, such as joints and kidneys, so a wide variety of symptoms appear.

In general, the prevalence rate is higher in East Asians than in Europeans, and symptoms are more severe. However, since most of the existing studies were conducted on whites, there was a limit to understanding the genetic heterogeneity that can only appear in East Asians.

Accordingly, the research team expected that this study, which investigated the genetic mutations that cause lupus in East Asians with high genetic homogeneity with Koreans, will contribute to establishing precision medicine for domestic lupus patients in the future.

Professor Bae said, “46 new genes related to lupus that have not been discovered have been discovered, so we can better understand the outbreak of lupus,” and said, “The results of this study can be used to predict and prevent the outbreak of lupus in East Asians.”

The research results were published online in the international journal’Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases’.