Hundreds of risk loci for immune mediated inflammatory and infectious diseases have been identified by genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Yet, what causal variants and genes in risk loci underpin the observed associations remains poorly understood for most. The identification of colocalized cis-expression Quantitative Trait Loci (cis-eQTLs) is a promising way to identify candidate causative genes. The catalogue of cis-eQTLs of the immune system is likely incomplete as many cis-eQTLs may be context-specific. We built a large cohort of 406 healthy individuals and expanded the immune cis-regulome through their whole blood transcriptome obtained after stimulation with specific toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists and T-cell receptor (TCR) antagonist. We report three mechanisms that may explain why an eQTL could only be revealed after immune stimulation. More than half of the cis-eQTLs detected in this study would have been overlooked without specific immune stimulations. We then mined this new catalogue of response (r)eQTLs, with public GWAS summary statistics of three diseases through a colocalization approach: inflammatory bowel diseases, rheumatoid arthritis and COVID-19 disease. We identified reQTL-specific colocalizations for risk loci for which no matching eQTL were reported before, revealing interesting new candidate causal genes.
Disciplines :
Genetics & genetic processes
Author, co-author :
Liefferinckx, Claire ; Center for the study of IBD, Laboratory of Experimental Gastroenterology, Université libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium ; Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatopancreatology, and Digestive Oncology, HUB Hôpital Erasme, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
Stern, David ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de gestion vétérinaire des Ressources Animales (DRA) > Génomique animale
Perée, Hélène ; Université de Liège - ULiège > GIGA > GIGA Molecular & Computational Biology - Unit of Animal Genomics
Bottieau, Jérémie ; Center for the study of IBD, Laboratory of Experimental Gastroenterology, Université libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
Mayer, Alice ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences biomédicales et précliniques
Dubussy, Christophe ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de mathématique > Didactique des sciences mathématiques
Quertinmont, Eric; Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatopancreatology, and Digestive Oncology, HUB Hôpital Erasme, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
Tafciu, Vjola; Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatopancreatology, and Digestive Oncology, HUB Hôpital Erasme, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
Minsart, Charlotte; Center for the study of IBD, Laboratory of Experimental Gastroenterology, Université libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium ; Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatopancreatology, and Digestive Oncology, HUB Hôpital Erasme, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
Petrov, Vyacheslav; Unit of Animal Genomics, GIGA Institute, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
Kvasz, Alexander ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de gestion vétérinaire des Ressources Animales (DRA) > GIGA-R : Génomique animale
Rahmouni, Souad ; Université de Liège - ULiège > GIGA > GIGA Molecular & Computational Biology - Unit of Animal Genomics
Georges, Michel ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de gestion vétérinaire des Ressources Animales (DRA) ; WEL Research Institute & Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Liège, Belgium
Franchimont, Denis ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences cliniques > Hépato-gastroentérologie ; Center for the study of IBD, Laboratory of Experimental Gastroenterology, Université libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium ; Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatopancreatology, and Digestive Oncology, HUB Hôpital Erasme, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
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