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Irf-5 haplotypes in systemic lupus erythematosusRelated Patent Categories: Chemistry: Molecular Biology And Microbiology, Measuring Or Testing Process Involving Enzymes Or Micro-organisms; Composition Or Test Strip Therefore; Processes Of Forming Such Composition Or Test Strip, Involving Nucleic AcidIrf-5 haplotypes in systemic lupus erythematosus description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20080026386, Irf-5 haplotypes in systemic lupus erythematosus. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/787,767, filed Mar. 31, 2006. TECHNICAL FIELD [0003] This document relates to materials and methods for diagnosing or predicting risk of systemic lupus erythematosus. BACKGROUND [0004] Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic, inflammatory autoimmune disease characterized by antinuclear autoantibodies and deposition of immune complexes, leading to organ damage and early death (Alarcon-Segovia et al. (2005) Arthritis Rheum. 52:1138-1147). SLE autoantibodies mediate organ damage by directly binding to host tissues and by forming immune complexes that deposit in vascular tissues and activate immune cells. Organs targeted in SLE include the skin, kidneys, vasculature, joints, various blood elements, and the central nervous system (CNS). The severity of disease, the spectrum of clinical involvement, and the response to therapy vary widely among patients. [0005] The type I interferon (IFN) pathway is activated in human SLE (Blanco et al. (2001) Science 294:1540-1543; Ronnblom and Alm (2001) J. Exp. Med. 194:F59-63; Baechler et al. (2003) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 100:2610-2615). Type I IFN is a central mediator of viral immunity (Isaacs and Lindenmann (1957) Proc. R. Soc. B 147:258-273), and many SLE patients strongly overexpress IFN-responsive genes in blood cells (Baechler et al. supra; Bennett et al. (2003) J. Exp. Med. 197:711-723; Kirou et al. (2004) Arthritis Rheum. 50:3958-3967). However, it is not known whether the IFN expression signature is a general biomarker of a dysregulated immune system, or rather reflects primary genetic variation causal to the pathogenesis of human SLE. [0006] IFN regulatory factor 5 (IRF-5) is a member of a family of transcription factors that controls inflammatory and immune responses (Honda et al. (2005) Int. Immunol. 17:1367-1378). IRF-5 has a critical role in the production of the pro-inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-.alpha. (TNF-.alpha.), interleukin-12 (IL-12), and IL-6 following toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling as determined by knockout mouse studies (Takaoka et al. (2005) Nature 434:243-249), and is also important for transactivation of type I IFN and IFN-responsive genes (Barnes et al. (2001) J. Biol. Chem. 276:23382-23390; Barnes et al. (2004) J. Biol. Chem. 279:45194-45207). [0007] The clinical heterogeneity of SLE makes it challenging to diagnose and manage this disease. Moreover, current therapy options for SLE are limited, and therapy strategies are highly individualized and tend to include much trial and error. Thus, there is a need for diagnostic technologies for SLE that can identify patients that will likely respond well to particular therapies. SUMMARY [0008] This document is based in part on the discovery that several IRF-5 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are associated with SLE. For example, the results provided herein demonstrate that the IRF-5 rs2004640 T allele, rs2880714 T allele, rs2070197 C allele, rs1O954213 A allele, and exon 6 insertion allele are associated with SLE. The results also demonstrate that the rs2004640 T allele creates a 5' donor splice site in an alternate exon 1 of IRF-5 (exon-1B), and that only individuals with the donor splice site express IRF-5 isoforms initiated at exon-1B. In addition, the results show that rs2880714, an independent cis-acting variant that drives elevated expression of IRF-5 transcripts, is strongly linked to the exon-1B splice donor site. Further, the results presented herein demonstrate that the rs10954213 A allele results in a "short form" IRF-5 mRNA and a truncated 3' untranslated region (UTR). This allele also is associated with elevated levels of IRF-5 expression. Haplotypes with elevated IRF-5 expression in the absence of the exon-1B donor site, however, do not confer risk to SLE. Further, a germline polymorphism has been discovered that results in a 30 nucleotide insertion in exon 6 of IRF-5, and have observed that this insertion also is associated with SLE. An IRF-5 haplotype that drives elevated expression of multiple unique isoforms of IRF-5 can be an important genetic risk factor for SLE, proving a causal role of type I IFN pathway genes in human autoimmune disease. [0009] one aspect, this document features a method for assessing the predisposition of a mammal to develop systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), comprising: (a) determining whether or not the mammal has an IRF-5 haplotype comprising an rs2004640 T allele, an IRF-5 exon 6 insertion allele, and an rs10954213 A allele; and (b) classifying the mammal as being susceptible to develop SLE if the mammal has the IRF-5 haplotype, or classifying the mammal as not being susceptible to develop SLE if the mammal does not contain the IRF-5 haplotype. The mammal can be a human. The method can further include determining whether a biological sample from the mammal contains elevated levels of interferon-.alpha. (IFN-.alpha.), interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA), interleukin-6 (IL-6), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), macrophage inflammatory protein-1.alpha. (MIP-1.alpha.), macrophage inflammatory protein-1.beta. (MIP-1.beta.), or tumor necrosis factor-.alpha. (TNF-.alpha.). [0010] In another aspect, this document features a method for diagnosing SLE in a mammal, comprising: (a) determining whether or not the mammal has an IRF-5 haplotype comprising an rs2004640 T allele, an IRF-5 exon 6 insertion allele, and an rs10954213 A allele; and (b) classifying the mammal as being susceptible to develop SLE if the mammal has the IRF-5 haplotype, or classifying the mammal as not being susceptible to develop SLE if the mammal does not have the IRF-5 haplotype. The mammal can be a human. The method can further include determining whether a biological sample from the mammal contains elevated levels of IFN-.alpha., IL-1RA, IL-6, MCP-1, MIP-1.alpha., MIP-1.beta., or TNF-.alpha.. [0011] In another aspect, this document features a method for assessing the predisposition of a mammal to develop SLE, comprising: (a) determining whether or not 30 the mammal has an IRF-5 haplotype comprising an rs2004640 T allele, an IRF-5 exon 6 insertion allele, an rs10954213 A allele, and an rs2070197 C allele; and (b) classifying the mammal as being susceptible to develop SLE if the mammal has the IRF-5 haplotype, or classifying the mammal as not being susceptible to develop SLE if the mammal does not have the IRF-5 haplotype. The mammal can be a human. The method can further include determining whether a biological sample from the mammal contains elevated levels of interferon-.alpha. (IFN-.alpha.), interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA), interleukin-6 (IL-6), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), macrophage inflammatory protein-1.alpha. (MIP-1.alpha.), macrophage inflammatory protein-1.beta. (MIP-1.beta.), or tumor necrosis factor-.alpha. (TNF-.alpha.). [0012] In another aspect, this document features a method for diagnosing SLE in a mammal, comprising: (a) determining whether or not the mammal has an IRF-5 haplotype comprising an rs2004640 T allele, an IRF-5 exon 6 insertion allele, an rs10954213 A allele, and an rs2070i97 C allele; and (b) classifying the mammal as being susceptible to develop SLE if the mammal has the IRF-5 haplotype, or classifying the mammal as not being susceptible to develop SLE if the mammal does not have the IRF-5 haplotype. The mammal can be a human. The method can further include determining whether a biological sample from the mammal contains elevated levels of IFN-.alpha., IL-1RA, IL-6, MCP-1, MIP-1.alpha., MIP-1.beta., or TNF-.alpha.. [0013] In another aspect, this document features a method for assessing the predisposition of a mammal to develop SLE, comprising: (a) determining whether or not the mammal comprises cells containing a level of an IRF-5 polypeptide that is greater than an average level of an IRF-5 polypeptide in control cells from one or more control mammals, wherein the mammal and the one or more control mammals are from the same species, and wherein the IRF-5 polypeptide in the mammal comprises an amino acid sequence encoded by exon 1B and an amino acid sequence encoded by an insertion in exon 6; and (b) classifying the mammal as being susceptible to develop SLE if the mammal contains the cells, or classifying the mammal as not being susceptible to develop SLE if the mammal does not contain the cells. The mammal can be a human. The one or more control mammals can be healthy humans. The cells and the control cells can be peripheral blood mononuclear cells or whole blood cells. The level of IRF-5 polypeptide in the mammal can be greater than the average level of IRF-5 polypeptide in control cells from at least 10 control mammals, or greater than the average level of IRF-5 polypeptide in control cells from at least 20 control mammals. The determining step can include measuring the level of IRF-5 mRNA encoding the IRF-5 polypeptide, or measuring the level of IRF-5 polypeptide. The method can further include determining whether a biological sample from the mammal contains elevated levels of IFN-.alpha., IL-1RA, IL-6, MCP-1, MIP-1.alpha., MIP-1.beta., or TNF-.alpha.. [0014] In another aspect, this document features a method for diagnosing SLE in a mammal, comprising: (a) determining whether or not the mammal comprises cells containing a level of an IRF-5 polypeptide that is greater than an average level of an IRF-5 polypeptide in control cells from one or more control mammals, wherein the mammal and the one or more control mammals are from the same species, and wherein the IRF-5 polypeptide in the mammal comprises an amino acid sequence encoded by exon 1B and an amino acid sequence encoded by an insertion in exon 6; and (b) classifying the mammal as being susceptible to develop SLE if the mammal contains the cells, or classifying the mammal as not being susceptible to develop SLE if the mammal does not contain the cells. The mammal can be a human. The one or more control mammals can be healthy humans. The cells and the control cells can be peripheral blood mononuclear cells or whole blood cells. The level of IRF-5 polypeptide in the mammal can be greater than the average level of IRF-5 polypeptide in control cells from at least 10 control mammals, or greater than the average level of IRF-5 polypeptide in control cells from at least 20 control mammals. The determining step can include measuring the level of IRF-5 mRNA encoding the IRF-5 polypeptide, or measuring the level of IRF-5 polypeptide. The method can further include determining whether a biological sample from the mammal contains elevated levels of IFN-.alpha., IL-1RA, IL-6, MCP-1, MIP-1.alpha., MIP-1.beta., or TNF-.alpha.. [0015] In yet another aspect, this document features a method for determining the likelihood of a mammal to respond to treatment with a therapy directed to IRF-5, comprising: (a) determining whether or not the mammal has an IRF-5 haplotype comprising an rs2004640 T allele, an IRF-5 exon 6 insertion allele, and an rs10954213 A allele; and (b) classifying the mammal as likely to respond to the therapy if the mammal has the IRF-5 haplotype, or classifying the mammal as not being likely to respond to the therapy if the mammal does not have the IRF-5 haplotype. The mammal can be a human. The mammal can be diagnosed as having SLE. A response to the therapy can include a reduction in one or more symptoms of SLE. The method can further include determining whether a biological sample from the mammal contains elevated levels of IFN-.alpha., IL-1RA, IL-6, MCP-1, MIP-1.alpha., MIP-1.beta., or TNF-.alpha.. [0016] In still another aspect, this document features a method for determining the likelihood of a mammal to respond to treatment with a therapy directed to IRF-5, comprising: (a) determining whether or not the mammal comprises cells containing a level of an IRF-5 polypeptide that is greater than an average level of an IRF-5 polypeptide in control cells from one or more control mammals, wherein the mammal and the one or more control mammals are from the same species, and wherein the IRF-5 polypeptide in the mammal comprises an amino acid sequence encoded by exon 1B and an amino acid sequence encoded by an insertion in exon 6; and (b) classifying the mammal as likely to respond to the therapy if the mammal contains the cells, or classifying the mammal as not being likely to respond to the therapy if the mammal does not contain the cells. The mammal can be a human. The mammal can be diagnosed as having SLE. The one or more control mammals can be healthy humans. The cells and the control cells can be peripheral blood mononuclear cells or whole blood cells. The level of IRF-5 polypeptide in the mammal can be greater than the average level of IRF-5 polypeptide in control cells from at least 10 control mammals, or greater than the average level of IRF-5 polypeptide in control cells from at least 20 control mammals. The determining step can include measuring the level of IRF-5 mRNA encoding the IRF-5 polypeptide, or measuring the level of IRF-5 polypeptide. A response to the therapy can include a reduction in one or more symptoms of SLE. The method can further include determining whether a biological sample from the mammal contains elevated levels of IFN-.alpha., IL-1RA, IL-6, MCP-1, MIP-1.alpha., MIP-1.beta., or TNF-.alpha.. The method can include determining whether or not the mammal contains detectable levels of an IRF-5 mRNA having a truncated 3' untranslated region. [0017] In another aspect, this document features a method for determining the likelihood of a mammal to respond to treatment with a therapy directed to a cytokine or a Toll like receptor (TLR), comprising: (a) determining whether or not the mammal has an IRF-5 haplotype comprising an rs2004640 T allele, an IRF-5 exon 6 insertion allele, and an rs10954213 A allele; and (b) classifying the mammal as likely to respond to the treatment if the mammal has the IRF-5 haplotype, or classifying the mammal as not being likely to respond to the treatment if the mammal does not have the IRF-5 haplotype. The cytokine can be IFN-.alpha., IL-1RA, IL-6, MCP-1, MIP-1.alpha., MIP-1.beta., or TNF-.alpha.. The TLR can be TLR7, TLR8, or TLR9. The mammal can be a human. The method can further include determining whether a biological sample from the mammal contains elevated levels of IFN-.alpha., IL-1RA, IL-6, MCP-1, MIP-1.alpha., MIP-1.beta., or TNF-.alpha.. [0018] In yet another aspect, this document features a method for determining the likelihood of a mammal to respond to treatment with a therapy directed to a cytokine or a TLR, comprising: (a) determining whether or not the mammal comprises cells containing a level of an IRF-5 polypeptide that is greater than an average level of an IRF-5 polypeptide in control cells from one or more control mammals, wherein the mammal and the one or more control mammals are from the same species, and wherein the IRF-5 polypeptide in the mammal comprises an amino acid sequence encoded by exon 1B and an amino acid sequence encoded by an insertion in exon 6; and (b) classifying the mammal as likely to respond to the treatment if the mammal contains the cells, or classifying the mammal as not being likely to respond to the treatment if the mammal does not contain the cells. The cytokine can be IFN-.alpha., IL-1RA, IL-6, MCP-1, MIP-1.alpha., MIP-1.beta., or TNF-.alpha.. The TLR can be TLR7, TLR8, or TLR9. The mammal can be a human. The one or more control mammals can be healthy humans. The cells and the control cells can be peripheral blood mononuclear cells or whole blood cells. The level of IRF-5 polypeptide in the mammal can be greater than the average level of IRF-5 polypeptide in control cells from at least 10 control mammals, or greater than the average level of IRF-5 polypeptide in control cells from at least 20 control mammals. The determining step can include measuring the level of IRF-5 mRNA encoding the IRF-5 polypeptide, or measuring the level of IRF-5 polypeptide. The method can further include determining whether a biological sample from the mammal contains elevated levels of IFN-.alpha., IL-1RA, IL-6, MCP-1, MIP-1.alpha., MIP-1.beta., or TNF-.alpha.. [0019] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. Although methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used to practice the invention, suitable methods and materials are described below. All publications, patent applications, patents, and other references mentioned herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. In case of conflict, the present specification, including definitions, will control. In addition, the materials, methods, and examples are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting. [0020] The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS Continue reading about Irf-5 haplotypes in systemic lupus erythematosus... 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