Systemic lupus erythematosus genome scan: Support for linkage at 1q23, 2q33, 16q12–13, and 17q21–23 and novel evidence at 3p24, 10q23–24, 13q32, and 18q22–23

Abstract

Linkage to the same chromosome regions in independent cohorts is a critical step in finding the genes that predispose to a complex disorder such as SLE. Four linked regions also seen in independent SLE cohorts lend credibility to the 4 novel regions identified by these analyses. Substantial linkage information was gleaned by genotyping and analyzing the unaffected siblings. These results provide additional evidence that the SLE clinical phenotype is genetically complex, multigenic, and heterogeneous.