Two New Genes Linked to Ankylosing Spondylitis

Tuesday October 23, 2007

Two genes have been identified by researchers and linked to ankylosing spondylitis, a type of arthritis that causes back pain and progressive stiffness. Using a technique known as genome-wide association scanning, researchers from the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics at the University of Oxford analyzed DNA samples from 1,000 patients with ankylosing spondylitis and 1,500 people without the disease looking for genetics mutations. Researchers were able to identify the genes -- ARTS1 and IL23R -- which increase the risk of developing ankylosing spondylitis. About 37 years ago, HLA-B27 was discovered and linked to ankylosing spondylitis. A person with all three genes is expected to have a 1 in 4 chance of developing the disease.

The IL23R gene plays a role in the immune response to infection and is known to play a role in autoimmmune diseases like Crohn's disease and psoriasis. Ankylosing spondylitis, Crohn's disease, and psoriasis are known to frequently occur together and the genes in common may explain why. A treatment for Crohn's disease that inhibits IL23R is in clinical trials and it may also be promising as a treatment for ankylosing spondylitis. Researchers will continue to study the mechanism of how the genes work and how they are related to the development of ankylosing spondylitis.

Ankylosing spondylitis primarily affects men. Two to three times more men than women develop the disease. Anyone can develop ankylosing spondylitis however. The age of disease onset is usually between 17 to 35 years old. The incidence of ankylosing spondylitis is 1 in 1,000 persons. Some researchers believe it is 1 in 200 persons.

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