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Biomedical subjects

Anne Cambon-Thomsen

Publications and source records attributed to Anne Cambon-Thomsen.

14 recordsLinked to original sources

A new classification of HLA-DRB1 alleles differentiates predisposing and protective alleles for rheumatoid arthritis structural severity.

OBJECTIVE: A new classification of HLA-DRB1 alleles supporting the shared epitope hypothesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) susceptibility was recently introduced. We investigated the relevance of this classification in terms of the structural severity of RA. METHODS: The study group comprised 144 patients who were included in a prospective longitudinal cohort of French Caucasoid patients with early RA. Progression of the total radiographic damage score (Sharp/van der Heijde method) was used to quantify the structural severity of RA after 4 years of followup. HLA-DRB1 typing and subtyping were performed by polymerase chain reaction, using a panel of sequence-specific oligonucleotide probes. HLA-DRB1 alleles were classified according to the above-mentioned new system. The association between the HLA-DRB1 allele groups (S1, S2, S3P, S3D, and X) and the structural severity of RA was analyzed with nonparametric statistical tests. RESULTS: The presence of S2 alleles (HLA-DRB1*0401 and HLA-DRB1*1303) was associated with severe forms of RA (P = 0.004); a significant dose effect was observed (P = 0.01). The presence of S3D alleles (HLA-DRB1*11001, HLA-DRB1*1104, HLA-DRB1*12, and HLA-DRB1*16) was associated with benign forms of RA (P < 0.0001), and a significant dose effect was observed (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The studied classification of HLA-DRB1 alleles is relevant in terms of RA outcomes. Compared with a previously described classification system, this system differentiates predisposing (S2) and protective (S3D) alleles for RA structural severity, which, respectively, correspond to KRRAA and DRRAA amino acid patterns at position 70-74 of the third hypervariable region of the HLA-DRbeta chain.

Alleles↗

Strategies in analysis of the genetic component of multifactorial diseases; biostatistical aspects.

Complex polygenic and multifactorial diseases remain a challenge for human geneticists. Here we aim to remind basic definitions of multifactorial diseases and the genetic related concepts underlying classical methods. Knowledge on pathophysiological process and the genetic information available conditions the design of study. The choice of methodology, between candidate gene approach and genome scan approach, between linkage and association studies, is the most important step. Both methods, linkage analysis and association studies are usually considered as complementary approaches for a given disease. For this reason, in this article, we present the most important classical methodologies in genetic epidemiology of complex disorders. References and examples are given to illustrate.

Biometry↗

Inferred HLA haplotype information for donors from hematopoietic stem cells donor registries.

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) matching remains a key issue in the outcome of transplantation. In hematopoietic stem cell transplantation with unrelated donors, the matching for compatible donors is based on the HLA phenotype information. In familial transplantation, the matching is achieved at the haplotype level because donor and recipient share the block-transmitted major histocompatibility complex region. We present a statistical method based on the HLA haplotype inference to refine the HLA information available in an unrelated situation. We implement a systematic statistical inference of the haplotype combinations at the individual level. It computes the most likely haplotype pair given the phenotype and its probability. The method is validated on 301 phase-known phenotypes from CEPH families (Centre d'Etude du Polymorphisme Humain). The method is further applied to 85,933 HLA-A B DR typed unrelated donors from the French Registry of hematopoietic stem cells donors (France Greffe de Moelle). The average value of prediction probability is 0.761 (SD 0.199) ranging from 0.26 to 1. Correlations between phenotype characteristics and predictions are also given. Homozygosity (OR = 2.08; [2.02-2.14] p <10(-3)) and linkage disequilibrium (p <10(-3)) are the major factors influencing the quality of prediction. Limits and relevance of the method are related to limits of haplotype estimation. Relevance of the method is discussed in the context of HLA matching refinement.

Algorithms↗

Introduction to statistical analysis of population data in immunogenetics.

We review the most classical questions addressed by the analysis of population data in immunogenetics. Basic genetics' definitions are reminded. Questions related to the population data itself (structure, missing values nomenclature, sampling) are developed first, and secondly, the population genetics questions (relevance of genetic parameters (phenotype, genotype allele and haplotype frequencies; genetic distances; linkage disequilibrium measures), methods and practical computing) are illustrated by immunogenetics polymorphisms. This article gives the essential of population immunogenetics on examples and key references. We underline the importance of population dimension in statistical analysis: structure of linkage disequilibrium and genetic diversity between populations may affect the power of the study or the interpretation of correlations between markers, genes and diseases, making population genetics both theoretical and very practical.

Data Interpretation, Statistical↗

Phylogeography of Y-chromosome haplogroup I reveals distinct domains of prehistoric gene flow in europe.

To investigate which aspects of contemporary human Y-chromosome variation in Europe are characteristic of primary colonization, late-glacial expansions from refuge areas, Neolithic dispersals, or more recent events of gene flow, we have analyzed, in detail, haplogroup I (Hg I), the only major clade of the Y phylogeny that is widespread over Europe but virtually absent elsewhere. The analysis of 1,104 Hg I Y chromosomes, which were identified in the survey of 7,574 males from 60 population samples, revealed several subclades with distinct geographic distributions. Subclade I1a accounts for most of Hg I in Scandinavia, with a rapidly decreasing frequency toward both the East European Plain and the Atlantic fringe, but microsatellite diversity reveals that France could be the source region of the early spread of both I1a and the less common I1c. Also, I1b*, which extends from the eastern Adriatic to eastern Europe and declines noticeably toward the southern Balkans and abruptly toward the periphery of northern Italy, probably diffused after the Last Glacial Maximum from a homeland in eastern Europe or the Balkans. In contrast, I1b2 most likely arose in southern France/Iberia. Similarly to the other subclades, it underwent a postglacial expansion and marked the human colonization of Sardinia approximately 9,000 years ago.

Africa, Northern↗

Tumor necrosis factor receptor II gene polymorphism and severity of rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: The gene encoding tumor necrosis factor receptor type II (TNFRII) is a strong candidate in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). An association between a single-nucleotide polymorphism (196M/R) in exon 6 of the TNFRII gene and familial RA was recently reported. The present study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that there is an association between this polymorphism and the severity of RA. METHODS: One hundred two white patients with early RA were included in this prospective study. The French version of the Health Assessment Questionnaire (F-HAQ) and a radiographic damage score (modified Sharp/van der Heijde method) were used to quantify the functional and structural severity of RA at baseline and after 4 years of followup. TNFRII 196M/R polymorphism genotyping was performed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. RESULTS: Among the 102 patients with RA, 63 (61.8%) were homozygous for the 196M allele, 36 (35.3%) were heterozygous for alleles 196M and 196R, and 3 (2.9%) were homozygous for the 196R allele. At baseline, the median radiographic and F-HAQ scores did not differ between RA patients who carried the 196R allele and those who did not. After 4 years of followup, the F-HAQ score was higher in RA patients carrying the 196R allele (median 1 [interquartile range (IQR) 0.125, 1.375]) than in noncarriers (0.375 [IQR 0, 1]) (P = 0.02), while the median radiographic score did not differ between RA patients who carried the 196R allele and those who did not. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study support the hypothesis that there is an association between the TNFRII 196 M/R gene polymorphism and the functional severity of early RA.

Adult↗

The social and ethical issues of post-genomic human biobanks.

Biobanking - the organized collection of biological samples and associated data - ranges in scope from small collections of samples in academic or hospital settings to large-scale national repositories. Biobanks raise many ethical concerns, to which authorities are responding by introducing specific regulations. Genomics research, which thrives on the sharing of samples and information, is affected by two prominent ethical questions: do ethical principles prevent or promote the sharing of stored biological resources? How does the advent of large-scale biobanking alter the way in which ethical issues are addressed?

Bioethics↗

Handling missing values in population data: consequences for maximum likelihood estimation of haplotype frequencies.

Haplotype frequency estimation in population data is an important problem in genetics and different methods including expectation maximisation (EM) methods have been proposed. The statistical properties of EM methods have been extensively assessed for data sets with no missing values. When numerous markers and/or individuals are tested, however, it is likely that some genotypes will be missing. Thus, it is of interest to investigate the behaviour of the method in the presence of incomplete genotype observations. We propose an extension of the EM method to handle missing genotypes, and we compare it with commonly used methods (such as ignoring individuals with incomplete genotype information or treating a missing allele as any other allele). Simulations were performed, starting from data sets of haematopoietic stem cell donors genotyped at three HLA loci. We deleted some data to create incomplete genotype observations in various proportions. We then compared the haplotype frequencies obtained on these incomplete data sets using the different methods to those obtained on the complete data. We found that the method proposed here provides better estimations, both qualitatively and quantitatively, but increases the computation time required. We discuss the influence of missing values on the algorithm's efficiency and the advantages and disadvantages of deleting incomplete genotypes. We propose guidelines for missing data handling in routine analysis.

Computational Biology↗

No evidence of type 1 diabetes susceptibility genes in the region centromeric of the HLA complex.

There is strong evidence that DQB1, DQA1, and DRB1 alleles are not the only contributors to the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) linked type 1 diabetes (T1D) predisposition. Although the HLA complex is much studied for disease association, little is known about the neighboring centromeric region. We have previously found suggestive association on DQ2-DR3 haplotypes for marker D6S291, located 3.6-Mb centromeric of HLA-DQB1. This region on human chromosome 6 is syntenic to a part of the region adjacent to the mouse major histocompatibility complex (MHC) on chromosome 17, which has been suggested to harbor a susceptibility gene in mouse (Idd16). To evaluate a possible role of the region centromeric of HLA-DQB1 in human T1D, we have scanned the region with nine microsatellite markers in 267 T1D families from five different populations. Our results indicate that the characteristic strong linkage disequilibrium in the HLA complex does not extend into this region. Furthermore, we did not detect any consistent T1D association for the markers analyzed in the study. In conclusion, our data argue against the presence of any strong genetic susceptibility factors for T1D in the region centromeric of the HLA complex.

Alleles↗

An empirical survey on biobanking of human genetic material and data in six EU countries.

Biobanks correspond to different situations: research and technological development, medical diagnosis or therapeutic activities. Their status is not clearly defined. We aimed to investigate human biobanking in Europe, particularly in relation to organisational, economic and ethical issues in various national contexts. Data from a survey in six EU countries (France, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and the UK) were collected as part of a European Research Project examining human and non-human biobanking (EUROGENBANK, coordinated by Professor JC Galloux). A total of 147 institutions concerned with biobanking of human samples and data were investigated by questionnaires and interviews. Most institutions surveyed belong to the public or private non-profit-making sectors, which have a key role in biobanking. This activity is increasing in all countries because few samples are discarded and genetic research is proliferating. Collections vary in size, many being small and only a few very large. Their purpose is often research, or research and healthcare, mostly in the context of disease studies. A specific budget is very rarely allocated to biobanking and costs are not often evaluated. Samples are usually provided free of charge and gifts and exchanges are the common rule. Good practice guidelines are generally followed and quality controls are performed but quality procedures are not always clearly explained. Associated data are usually computerised (identified or identifiable samples). Biobankers generally favour centralisation of data rather than of samples. Legal and ethical harmonisation within Europe is considered likely to facilitate international collaboration. We propose a series of recommendations and suggestions arising from the EUROGENBANK project.

Biological Specimen Banks↗

Stromelysin 1 (matrix metalloproteinase 3) and HLA-DRB1 gene polymorphisms: Association with severity and progression of rheumatoid arthritis in a prospective study.

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis of an association between a polymorphism in the matrix metalloproteinase 3 (MMP-3) gene promoter and the susceptibility, severity, and progression of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and to further document the association between HLA-DRB1 alleles encoding the shared epitope (SE) and the severity and progression of RA. METHODS: Patients with early RA (n = 103) were included in this prospective study. A total radiographic damage score (TDS; by the Sharp/van der Heijde method) was used to quantify RA severity at baseline and after 4 years of followup. The 5A/6A biallelic polymorphism in the MMP-3 gene promoter was analyzed using fluorescence-based polymerase chain reaction (PCR). HLA-DRB1 genotyping was performed using PCR methods. Control subjects (n = 127) were unrelated healthy individuals. RESULTS: MMP-3 allele carriage rates and allele and genotype frequencies did not differ between patients and controls. The MMP-3 6A/6A genotype was associated with the highest TDS both at baseline and after a 4-year followup and with the highest progression of the TDS over the 4 years of followup. The DRB1 SE+/+ genotype was associated with the highest TDS after a 4-year followup and with the highest progression of the TDS over the 4 years of followup. Patients homozygous for MMP-3 6A and DRB1 SE had the highest progression of the TDS. CONCLUSION: This study provides the first evidence of an association between a polymorphism in the MMP-3 gene promoter and the severity and progression of RA, but not RA susceptibility. Investigation of this polymorphism could be combined with that of DRB1 gene polymorphism to improve the predictive accuracy and management strategy in early RA.

Alleles↗

Collagenase-1 (MMP-1) and HLA-DRB1 gene polymorphisms in rheumatoid arthritis: a prospective longitudinal study.

OBJECTIVE: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is characterized by chronic synovitis leading to permanent damage of the joints. Collagenase-1 (MMP-1) is a matrix metalloproteinase involved in articular cartilage degradation. We investigated the association between a biallelic polymorphism in the MMP-1 gene promoter and the susceptibility to, and severity of, RA. We also investigated the association between HLA-DRB1 gene polymorphism and severity of RA. METHODS: One hundred and three patients with early RA were included in this prospective longitudinal study. A radiographic damage score was used to quantify disease severity at baseline and after 4 years of followup. MMP-1 polymorphism genotyping was analyzed using a fluorescent-based polymerase chain reaction (PCR). HLA-DRB1 genotypes were determined by PCR sequence-specific oligonucleotide probes. One hundred and thirty-three healthy individuals were used as controls. RESULTS: MMP-1 allele and genotype frequencies did not differ between RA patients and controls. The radiographic damage or its progression over the 4 years of followup did not differ across MMP-1 genotypes. The radiographic damage score and its progression over the 4 years of followup differed across HLA-DRB1 genotypes. The HLA-DRB I shared epitope +/+ genotype was associated with the highest radiographic damage score and the highest progression, while the shared epitope -/- genotype was associated with the lowest. CONCLUSION: Our results do not support the hypothesis of an association between this particular polymorphism in the MMP-1 gene promoter and susceptibility to, or severity of, RA. This study confirms the previous reports of an association between the HLA-DRB1 gene polymorphism and severity of RA.

Adult↗