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Variants in the DDX6-CXCR5 autoimmune disease risk locus influence the regulatory network in immune cells and salivary gland

Wiley, M.M. ; Mandl, T. LU orcid ; Olsson, P. LU orcid and Lessard, C.J. (2025) In Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 84(9). p.1512-1527
Abstract
Objectives: Sjögren's disease (SjD) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) share genetic risk at the DDX6-CXCR5 locus (11q23.3). Identifying and functionally characterising shared SNPs spanning this locus can provide new insights into common genetic mechanisms of autoimmunity. Methods: Transdisease meta-analyses, fine-mapping, and bioinformatic analyses prioritised shared likely functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for allele-specific and cell type–specific functional interrogation using electromobility shift, luciferase reporter, and quantitative chromatin conformation capture assays and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) gene regulation. Results: Five shared SNPs were identified as likely... (More)
Objectives: Sjögren's disease (SjD) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) share genetic risk at the DDX6-CXCR5 locus (11q23.3). Identifying and functionally characterising shared SNPs spanning this locus can provide new insights into common genetic mechanisms of autoimmunity. Methods: Transdisease meta-analyses, fine-mapping, and bioinformatic analyses prioritised shared likely functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for allele-specific and cell type–specific functional interrogation using electromobility shift, luciferase reporter, and quantitative chromatin conformation capture assays and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) gene regulation. Results: Five shared SNPs were identified as likely functional in primary human immune cells, salivary gland and kidney tissues: rs57494551, rs4936443, rs4938572, rs7117261, and rs4938573. All 5 SNPs exhibited cell type-specific and allele-specific effects on nuclear protein binding affinity and enhancer/promoter regulatory activity in immune, salivary gland epithelial, and kidney epithelial cell models. Mapping of chromatin–chromatin interactions revealed a chromatin regulatory network that expanded beyond DDX6 and CXCR5 to include PHLDB1, lnc-PHLDB1-1, BCL9L, TRAPPC4, among others. Coalescence of functional assays and multiomic data analyses indicated that these SNPs likely modulate the activity of 3 regulatory regions: intronic rs57494551 regulatory region, intergenic SNP haplotype (rs4938572, rs4936443, and rs7117261) regulatory region, and rs4938573 regulatory region upstream of the CXCR5 promoter. Conclusions: Shared genetic susceptibly at the DDX6-CXCR5 locus in SjD and SLE likely alters common mechanisms of autoimmunity, including interferon signalling (DDX6), autophagy (TRAPPC4), and lymphocytic infiltration of disease-target tissues (CXCR5). Further, using multiomic data from patients with SjD, combined with bioinformatic and in vitro functional studies, can provide mechanistic insights into how genetic risk influences the biological pathways that drive complex autoimmunity. © 2025 The Author(s) (Less)
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Contribution to journal
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published
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in
Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
volume
84
issue
9
pages
16 pages
publisher
BMJ Publishing Group
external identifiers
  • scopus:105007095088
  • pmid:40447495
ISSN
0003-4967
DOI
10.1016/j.ard.2025.04.023
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
9dd517da-d642-4d81-870d-a6aa4dc44de2
date added to LUP
2026-03-11 10:23:22
date last changed
2026-03-12 03:28:05
@article{9dd517da-d642-4d81-870d-a6aa4dc44de2,
  abstract     = {{Objectives: Sjögren's disease (SjD) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) share genetic risk at the DDX6-CXCR5 locus (11q23.3). Identifying and functionally characterising shared SNPs spanning this locus can provide new insights into common genetic mechanisms of autoimmunity. Methods: Transdisease meta-analyses, fine-mapping, and bioinformatic analyses prioritised shared likely functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for allele-specific and cell type–specific functional interrogation using electromobility shift, luciferase reporter, and quantitative chromatin conformation capture assays and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) gene regulation. Results: Five shared SNPs were identified as likely functional in primary human immune cells, salivary gland and kidney tissues: rs57494551, rs4936443, rs4938572, rs7117261, and rs4938573. All 5 SNPs exhibited cell type-specific and allele-specific effects on nuclear protein binding affinity and enhancer/promoter regulatory activity in immune, salivary gland epithelial, and kidney epithelial cell models. Mapping of chromatin–chromatin interactions revealed a chromatin regulatory network that expanded beyond DDX6 and CXCR5 to include PHLDB1, lnc-PHLDB1-1, BCL9L, TRAPPC4, among others. Coalescence of functional assays and multiomic data analyses indicated that these SNPs likely modulate the activity of 3 regulatory regions: intronic rs57494551 regulatory region, intergenic SNP haplotype (rs4938572, rs4936443, and rs7117261) regulatory region, and rs4938573 regulatory region upstream of the CXCR5 promoter. Conclusions: Shared genetic susceptibly at the DDX6-CXCR5 locus in SjD and SLE likely alters common mechanisms of autoimmunity, including interferon signalling (DDX6), autophagy (TRAPPC4), and lymphocytic infiltration of disease-target tissues (CXCR5). Further, using multiomic data from patients with SjD, combined with bioinformatic and in vitro functional studies, can provide mechanistic insights into how genetic risk influences the biological pathways that drive complex autoimmunity. © 2025 The Author(s)}},
  author       = {{Wiley, M.M. and Mandl, T. and Olsson, P. and Lessard, C.J.}},
  issn         = {{0003-4967}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{9}},
  pages        = {{1512--1527}},
  publisher    = {{BMJ Publishing Group}},
  series       = {{Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases}},
  title        = {{Variants in the DDX6-CXCR5 autoimmune disease risk locus influence the regulatory network in immune cells and salivary gland}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ard.2025.04.023}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.ard.2025.04.023}},
  volume       = {{84}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}