The genetic factors underlying the pathogenesis of lupus nephritis associated with systemic lupus erythematosus are largely unknown, although animal studies indicate that nuclear factor (NF)-kB is involved. We reported previously that a knockin mouse expressing an inactive form of ABIN1 (ABIN1[D485N]) develops lupus-like autoimmune disease and demonstrates enhanced activation of NF-kB and mitogen-activated protein kinases in immune cells after toll-like receptor stimulation. In the current study, we show that ABIN1[D485N] mice develop progressive GN similar to class III and IV lupus nephritis in humans. To investigate the clinical relevance of ABIN1 dysfunction, we genotyped five single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the gene encoding ABIN1, TNIP1, in samples from European-American, African American, Asian, Gullah, and Hispanic participants in the Large Lupus Association Study 2. Comparing cases of systemic lupus erythematosus with nephritis and cases of systemic lupus erythematosus without nephritis revealed strong associations with lupus nephritis at rs7708392 in European Americans and rs4958881 in African Americans. Comparing cases of systemic lupus erythematosus with nephritis and healthy controls revealed a stronger association at rs7708392 in European Americans but not at rs4958881 in African Americans. Our data suggest that variants in the TNIP1 gene are associated with the risk for lupus nephritis and could be mechanistically involved in disease development via aberrant regulation of NF-kB and mitogen-activated protein kinase activity. 24: 174324: -175424: , 201324: . doi: 10.1681 Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystem autoimmune disease characterized by an abnormal immune response leading to autoantibody production, immune complex formation, T cell activation, and inflammatory cytokine release. 1 Multiple factors contribute to the immune response in SLE, including genetic, epigenetic, immunoregulatory, environmental, and hormonal factors. 1 Lupus nephritis (LN) occurs in about 50% of patients with SLE and is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. 2 The incidence of LN varies among different ethnic groups, suggesting that genetic factors play an important role in the pathogenesis. Patients with African ancestry are at Received February 11, 2013. Accepted May 7, 2013 D.J.C. and E.A.K. contributed equally to this work.
J Am Soc NephrolPublished online ahead of print. Publication date available at www.jasn.org. LN,4 and that therapy is associated with undesirable short-and long-term adverse effects. Thus, identifying the molecular mechanisms responsible for the pathogenesis of LN is necessary to define more specific diagnostic and therapeutic targets. However, the complex interactions of genetic risks, environmental factors, and molecular events that contribute to the development of LN are only beginning to be defined. The transcription factor nuclear factor-kB (NF-kB) regulates the expression of hundreds of genes that control cell proliferation and survival, the cellular stress r...