Sie befinden Sich nicht im Netzwerk der Universität Paderborn. Der Zugriff auf elektronische Ressourcen ist gegebenenfalls nur via VPN oder Shibboleth (DFN-AAI) möglich. mehr Informationen...
The autoimmune regulator (AIRE) gene is crucial for establishing central immunological tolerance and preventing autoimmunity. Mutations in AIRE cause a rare autosomal-recessive disease, autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 1 (APS-1), distinguished by multi-organ autoimmunity. We have identified multiple cases and families with mono-allelic mutations in the first plant homeodomain (PHD1) zinc finger of AIRE that followed dominant inheritance, typically characterized by later onset, milder phenotypes, and reduced penetrance compared to classical APS-1. These missense PHD1 mutations suppressed gene expression driven by wild-type AIRE in a dominant-negative manner, unlike CARD or truncated AIRE mutants that lacked such dominant capacity. Exome array analysis revealed that the PHD1 dominant mutants were found with relatively high frequency (>0.0008) in mixed populations. Our results provide insight into the molecular action of AIRE and demonstrate that disease-causing mutations in the AIRE locus are more common than previously appreciated and cause more variable autoimmune phenotypes.
[Display omitted]
•Heterozygous mutations in AIRE cause organ-specific autoimmune disease•Mono-allelic mutations with dominant effects cluster within the PHD1 domain of AIRE•These mutations suppress wild-type AIRE in a dominant-negative manner•Relatively high frequencies of these mutations are found in the population
This paper by Husebye and colleagues directly links heterozygous mutations in the autoimmune regulator (AIRE) gene to organ-specific autoimmunity, including APS-1. The authors show that these mutations cluster within the first PHD domain of AIRE and exert a dominant-negative effect on wild-type AIRE in vitro.