ImmunoChip study implicates antigen presentation to T cells in narcolepsy.

Faraco, J.; Lin, L.; Kornum, B. R.; Kenny, E. E.; Trynka, G.; Einen, M.; Rico, T. J.; Lichtner, P.; Dauvilliers, Y.; Arnulf, I.; Lecendreux, M.; Javidi, S.; Geisler, P.; Mayer, G.; Pizza, Fabio; Poli, Francesca; Plazzi, Giuseppe; Overeem, S.; Lammers, G. J.; Kemlink, D.; Sonka, K.; Nevsimalova, S.; Rouleau, G.; Desautels, A.; Montplaisir, J.; Frauscher, B.; Ehrmann, L.; Högl, B.; Jennum, P.; Bourgin, P.; Peraita Adrados, R.; Iranzo, A.; Bassetti, C.; Chen, W.; Concannon, P.; Thompson, S. D.; Damotte, V.; Fontaine, B.; Breban, M.; Gieger, C.; Klopp, N.; Deloukas, P.; Wijmenga, C.; Hallmayer, J.; Onengut Gumuscu, S.; Rich, S. S.; Winkelmann, J.; Mignot, E.

doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.1003270

Recent advances in the identification of susceptibility genes and environmental exposures provide broad support for a post-infectious autoimmune basis for narcolepsy/hypocretin (orexin) deficiency. We genotyped loci associated with other autoimmune and inflammatory diseases in 1,886 individuals with hypocretin-deficient narcolepsy and 10,421 controls, all of European ancestry, using a custom genotyping array (ImmunoChip). Three loci located outside the Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) region on chromosome 6 were significantly associated with disease risk. In addition to a strong signal in the T cell receptor alpha (TRA@), variants in two additional narcolepsy loci, Cathepsin H (CTSH) and Tumor necrosis factor (ligand) superfamily member 4 (TNFSF4, also called OX40L), attained genome-wide significance. These findings underline the importance of antigen presentation by HLA Class II to T cells in the pathophysiology of this autoimmune disease.

J. Faraco, L. Lin, B. R. Kornum, E. E. Kenny, G. Trynka, M. Einen, et al. (2013). ImmunoChip study implicates antigen presentation to T cells in narcolepsy. PLOS GENETICS, 9(2), 1-7 [10.1371/journal.pgen.1003270].