Strong association of the HLA-DR/DQ locus with childhood steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome in the Japanese population

Background Nephrotic syndrome is the most common cause of chronic glomerular disease in children. Most of these patients develop steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome (SSNS), but the loci conferring susceptibility to childhood SSNS are mainly unknown. Methods We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in the Japanese population; 224 patients with childhood SSNS and 419 adult healthy controls were genotyped using the Affymetrix Japonica Array in the discovery stage. Imputation for six HLA genes (HLA-A, -C, -B, -DRB1, -DQB1, and -DPB1) was conducted on the basis of Japanese-specific references. We performed genotyping for HLA-DRB1/-DQB1 using a sequence-specific oligonucleotide-probing method on a Luminex platform. Whole-genome imputation was conducted using a phased reference panel of 2049 healthy Japanese individuals. Replication was performed in an independent Japanese sample set including 216 patients and 719 healthy controls. We genotyped candidate single-nucleotide polymorphisms using the DigiTag2 assay. Results The most significant association was detected in the HLA-DR/DQ region and replicated (rs4642516 [minor allele G], combined P_allelic=7.84310²²³; odds ratio [OR], 0.33; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 0.26 to 0.41; rs3134996 [minor allele A], combined P_allelic=1.72310²²⁵; OR, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.23 to 0.37). HLA-DRB1*08:02 (Pc=1.82310²⁹; OR, 2.62; 95% CI, 1.94 to 3.54) and HLA-DQB1*06:04 (Pc=2.09310²¹²; OR, 0.10; 95% CI, 0.05 to 0.21) were considered primary HLA alleles associated with childhood SSNS. HLA-DRB1*08:02-DQB1*03:02 (Pc=7.01310²¹¹; OR, 3.60; 95% CI, 2.46 to 5.29) was identified as the most significant genetic susceptibility factor. Conclusions The most significant association with childhood SSNS was detected in the HLA-DR/DQ region. Further HLA allele/haplotype analyses should enhance our understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying SSNS.