Cumulative effect of IFIH1 variants and increased gene expression associated with type 1 diabetes (original) (raw)

Association between interferon-induced helicase (IFIH1 ) rs1990760 polymorphism and seasonal variation in the onset of type 1 diabetes mellitus

Pediatric Diabetes, 2017

Background: Infections, mostly of viral origin, may contribute to the seasonal variation in the onset of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). The rs1990760 (A>G, Ala946Thr) polymorphism (GG genotype) of the interferon induced helicase (IFIH1), a virus recognition receptor, confers a modest protection for T1DM. The aim of our study was to evaluate a possible association between this IFIH1 polymorphism and the seasonal variation in the onset of T1DM. Materials and Methods: The IFIH1 rs1990760 polymorphism was genotyped in 1055 patients of Central-Eastern European ancestry with T1DM (median age at diagnosis: 8.2 [interquartile range, IQR 4.8-11.8] years). T1DM onset was recorded in monthly intervals. Results: The IFIH1 genotype distribution was the following: 436 patients (41.3%) had AA genotype, 483 patients (45.8%) had AG genotype, and 136 patients (12.9%) had GG genotype. Significant seasonal variation in manifestation of T1DM (highest rate in winter and lowest rate in summer period) was observed in the total cohort (n = 1055), irrespective of gender. The disease predisposing AA genotype was more frequently found among new cases with onset in summer vs in those with onset in winter (44.3% vs 37.9%); conversely, the protective GG genotype was less frequent (9.3% vs 12.9%, respectively; P = .0268 for trend). Significant effect of genotype (P = .0418) was found on the seasonal variability of T1DM onset in the total cohort. Conclusions: The IFIH1 rs1990760 polymorphism seems to be associated with the seasonal manifestation of T1DM. Our findings suggest that this virus receptor gene may contribute to T1DM manifestation primarily in the summer period.

Polymorphism discovery and association analyses of the interferon genes in type 1 diabetes

BMC genetics, 2006

The aetiology of the autoimmune disease type 1 diabetes (T1D) involves many genetic and environmental factors. Evidence suggests that innate immune responses, including the action of interferons, may also play a role in the initiation and/or pathogenic process of autoimmunity. In the present report, we have adopted a linkage disequilibrium (LD) mapping approach to test for an association between T1D and three regions encompassing 13 interferon alpha (IFNA) genes, interferon omega-1 (IFNW1), interferon beta-1 (IFNB1), interferon gamma (IFNG) and the interferon consensus-sequence binding protein 1 (ICSBP1). We identified 238 variants, most, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), by sequencing IFNA, IFNB1, IFNW1 and ICSBP1, 98 of which where novel when compared to dbSNP build 124. We used polymorphisms identified in the SeattleSNP database for INFG. A set of tag SNPs was selected for each of the interferon and interferon-related genes to test for an association between T1D and this co...

IFIH1 polymorphisms are significantly associated with type 1 diabetes and IFIH1 gene expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells

Human Molecular Genetics, 2008

Genome-wide association (GWA) studies revealed a number of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) significantly associated with type 1 diabetes (T1D). In an attempt to confirm some of these candidate associations, we genotyped 2046 Caucasian patients and 2417 normal controls from the United States for SNPs in five genomic regions. While no evidence was obtained for four genomic regions (rs2929366/NM_144715 on chromosome 3, rs9127/Q7Z4C4 on chromosome 5, rs1445898/CAPSL on chromosome 5 and rs2302188/ NM_033543 on chromosome 19), we provide strong evidence for association between T1D and multiple SNPs in the IFIH1 linkage disequilibrium (LD) block on chromosome 2q. Among the 10 SNPs genotyped for the 2q region, four SNPs located within the IFIH1 gene or at the 5 0 region of IFIH1 showed significant association with T1D in the Georgia population [odds ratio (OR) 5 1.7-1.9] with the best P-value found at SNP rs1990760 (P 5 8 3 10 28 and OR 5 1.9). Several SNPs outside of the IFIH1 gene also showed significant but weaker associations. Furthermore, IFIH1 gene expression levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells are significantly correlated with IFIH1 genotypes, and higher IFIH1 levels are found in individuals with the susceptible genotypes (P 5 0.005). Thus, both genetic association and gene expression data suggest that IFIH1 is the most plausible candidate gene implicated in T1D in this LD block.

A type I interferon transcriptional signature precedes autoimmunity in children genetically at-risk of type 1 diabetes

Diabetes, 2014

Diagnosis of the autoimmune disease type 1 diabetes (T1D) is preceded by the appearance of circulating autoantibodies to pancreatic islets. However, almost nothing is known about events leading to this islet autoimmunity. Previous epidemiological and genetic data have associated viral infections and antiviral type I interferon (IFN) immune response genes with T1D. Here, we first used DNA microarray analysis to identify IFN-b-inducible genes in vitro and then used this set of genes to define an IFNinducible transcriptional signature in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from a group of active systemic lupus erythematosus patients (n = 25). Using this predefined set of 225 IFN signature genes, we investigated the expression of the signature in cohorts of healthy controls (n = 87), patients with T1D (n = 64), and a large longitudinal birth cohort of children genetically predisposed to T1D (n = 109; 454 microarrayed samples). Expression of the IFN signature was increased in genetically predisposed children before the development of autoantibodies (P = 0.0012) but not in patients with established T1D. Upregulation of IFN-inducible genes was transient, temporally associated with a recent history of upper respiratory tract infections (P = 0.0064), and marked by increased expression of SIGLEC-1 (CD169), a lectin-like receptor expressed on CD14 + monocytes. DNA variation in IFN-inducible genes altered T1D risk (P = 0.007), as exemplified by IFIH1, one of the genes in our IFN signature for which increased expression is a known risk factor for disease. These findings identify transient increased expression of type I IFN genes in preclinical diabetes as a risk factor for autoimmunity in children with a genetic predisposition to T1D.

The IFIH1-A946T risk variant promotes diabetes in a sex-dependent manner

Frontiers in immunology, 2024

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease in which pancreatic islet b-cells are attacked by the immune system, resulting in insulin deficiency and hyperglycemia. One of the top non-synonymous single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) associated with T1D is in the interferon-induced helicase C domain-containing protein 1 (IFIH1), which encodes an anti-viral cytosolic RNA sensor. This SNP results in an alanine to threonine substitution at amino acid 946 (IFIH1 A946T) and confers an increased risk for several autoimmune diseases, including T1D. We hypothesized that the IFIH1 A946T risk variant, (IFIH1 R) would promote T1D pathogenesis by stimulating type I interferon (IFN I) signaling leading to immune cell alterations. To test this, we developed Ifih1 R knock-in mice on the non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse background, a spontaneous T1D model. Our results revealed a modest increase in diabetes incidence and insulitis in Ifih1 R compared to non-risk Ifih1 (Ifih1 NR) mice and a significant acceleration of diabetes onset in Ifih1 R females. Ifih1 R mice exhibited a significantly enhanced interferon stimulated gene (ISG) signature compared to Ifih1 NR , indicative of increased IFN I signaling. Ifih1 R mice exhibited an increased frequency of plasma cells as well as tissue-dependent changes in the frequency and activation of CD8 + T cells. Our results indicate that IFIH1 R may contribute to T1D pathogenesis by altering the frequency and activation of immune cells. These findings advance our knowledge on the connection between the rs1990760 variant and T1D. Further, these data are the first to demonstrate effects of Ifih1 R in NOD mice, which will be important to consider for the development of therapeutics for T1D.

Population genetics of IFIH1: ancient population structure, local selection and implications for susceptibility to type 1 diabetes

Molecular Biology and Evolution, 2010

The human interferon induced with helicase C domain 1 (IFIH1) gene encodes a sensor of double-strand RNA involved in innate immunity against viruses, indicating that this gene is a likely target of virus-driven selective pressure. Notably, IFIH1 also plays a role in autoimmunity, as common and rare polymorphisms in this gene have been associated with type 1 diabetes (T1D). We analyzed the evolutionary history of IFIH1 in human populations. Results herein suggest that two major IFIH1 haplotype clades originated from ancestral population structure (or balancing selection) in the African continent and that local selective pressures have acted on the gene. Specifically, directional selection in Europe and Asia resulted in the spread of a common IFIH1 haplotype carrying a derived His460 allele. This variant changes a highly conserved arginine residue in the helicase domain, possibly conferring altered specificity in viral recognition. An alternative common haplotype has swept to high frequency in South Americans as a result of recent positive selection. Previous studies suggested that a portion of risk alleles for autoimmune diseases could have been maintained in humans as they conferred a selective advantage against infections. This is not the case for IFIH1, as population genetic differentiation and haplotype analyses indicated that the T1D susceptibility alleles behaved as neutral or nearly neutral polymorphisms. Our findings suggest that variants in IFIH1 confer different susceptibility to diverse viral infections and provide insight into the relationship between adaptation to past infection and predisposition to autoimmunity in modern populations.

The role of interferon induced with helicase C domain 1 (IFIH1) in the development of type 1 diabetes mellitus

Arquivos Brasileiros de Endocrinologia & Metabologia, 2013

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is a chronic, progressive, autoimmune disease characterized by metabolic decompensation frequently leading to dehydration and ketoacidosis. Viral pathogens seem to play a major role in triggering the autoimmune destruction that leads to the development of T1DM. Among several viral strains investigated so far, enteroviruses have been consistently associated with T1DM in humans. One of the mediators of viral damage is the double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) generated during replication and transcription of viral RNA and DNA. The IFIH1 gene encodes a cytoplasmic receptor of the pattern-recognition receptors (PRRs) family that recognizes dsRNA, playing a role in the innate immune response triggered by viral infection. Binding of dsRNA to this PRR triggers the release of proinflammatory cytokines, such as interferons (IFNs), which exhibit potent antiviral activity, protecting uninfected cells and inducing apoptosis of infected cells. The IFIH1 gene appears to play a major role in the development of some autoimmune diseases, and it is, therefore, a candidate gene for T1DM. Within this context, the objective of the present review was to address the role of IFIH1 in the development of T1DM. Arq Bras Endocrinol Metab. 2013;57(9):667-76

Loss-of-function mutations E6 27X and I923V of IFIH1 are associated with lower poly(I:C)–induced interferon-β production in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of type 1 diabetes patients

Human Immunology, 2010

Melanoma differentiation-associated 5 (MDA5), a product of the IFIH1 gene, is responsible for sensing double-stranded viral double-stranded RNA (RNA). In this study, we showed a significant association of two rare IFIH1 variants, rs35744605 (E627X) and rs35667974 (I923V), with decreased risk of type 1 diabetes (T1D) in a Russian population (for the allele X627, odds ratio [OR] ϭ 0.39, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] ϭ 0.22-0.69, p ϭ 0.0015; for the allele V923, OR ϭ 0.45, 95% CI, 0.30 -0.66, p ϭ 5.4 ϫ 10 Ϫ5 ). We detected a 3.5-fold greater frequency of enteroviral RNA in T1D subjects compared with controls (p Ͻ1.0 ϫ 10 Ϫ8 ), and 2.1-fold more frequent presence of viral RNA in T1D patients with a recent-onset diabetes (duration Յ1 year) compared with those with a longer disease (p Ͻ1.0 ϫ 10 Ϫ8 ). The carriage of the predisposing IFIH1 EI/EI haplogenotype was significantly associated with a 1.5-to 1.7-fold increase in the poly(I:C)-stimulated secretion of IFN-␤ in PMBCs compared with the other IFIH1 variants. The upregulated MDA5-dependent production of inflammatory cytokines could enhance the autoimmune destruction of ␤-cells mediated by self-reactive T-cells. ᭧

A Type I Interferon Transcriptional Signature Precedes Autoimmunity in Children Genetically at Risk for Type 1 Diabetes

Diabetes, 2014

Diagnosis of the autoimmune disease type 1 diabetes (T1D) is preceded by the appearance of circulating autoantibodies to pancreatic islets. However, almost nothing is known about events leading to this islet autoimmunity. Previous epidemiological and genetic data have associated viral infections and antiviral type I interferon (IFN) immune response genes with T1D. Here, we first used DNA microarray analysis to identify IFN-β–inducible genes in vitro and then used this set of genes to define an IFN-inducible transcriptional signature in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from a group of active systemic lupus erythematosus patients (n = 25). Using this predefined set of 225 IFN signature genes, we investigated the expression of the signature in cohorts of healthy controls (n = 87), patients with T1D (n = 64), and a large longitudinal birth cohort of children genetically predisposed to T1D (n = 109; 454 microarrayed samples). Expression of the IFN signature was increased in genetically...