A coding variant in NLRP1 is associated with autoimmune Addison's disease

Abstract

Autoimmune Addison's disease (AAD) is a complex disorder with several susceptibility loci. Variations in the NLRP1 (previously, NALP1) gene have recently been reported to confer risk for vitiligo and associated autoimmune conditions. We hypothesized that polymorphisms in this gene may affect susceptibility to AAD. The aim of this study was to analyze the associations of six NLRP1 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with AAD within a Polish cohort. The study comprised 101 AAD patients and 254 healthy control individuals. Genotyping was performed by polymerase chain reaction followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism and single strand conformation polymorphism methods. The minor allele of the coding SNP rs12150220 appeared significantly more frequently in AAD compared with healthy individuals (OR = 1.5, 95% CI, 1.08–2.08, p = 0.015). The distribution of genotypes also demonstrated significant differences. The frequency of high-risk genotype AA of rs12150220 SNP was significantly increased among AAD subjects versus controls ( p = 0.006 and p = 0.036, respectively; significant after Bonferroni correction), yielding an OR of 2.96 (95% CI, 1.34–6.55). Likewise, the heterozygous genotype TA was observed more frequently in the patient group [OR = 3.09 (95% CI, 1.53–6.24), p = 0.001 and p = 0.006 after Bonferroni correction]. In conclusion, this study confirms an association between the coding polymorphism in NLRP1 and AAD.