Pharmacogenomics of clinical response to Natalizumab in multiple sclerosis: a genome-wide multi-centric association...

Inter-individual differences in treatment response are marked in multiple sclerosis (MS). This is true for Natalizumab (NTZ), to which a subset of patients displays sub-optimal treatment response. We conducted a multi-centric genome-wide association study (GWAS), with additional pathway and network analysis to identify genetic predictors of response to NTZ.

MS patients from three different centers were included. Response to NTZ was dichotomized, nominating responders (R) relapse-free patients and non-responders (NR) all the others, over a follow-up of 4 years. Association analysis on ~ 4.7 M imputed autosomal common single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) was performed fitting logistic regression models, adjusted for baseline covariates, followed by meta-analysis at SNP and gene level. Finally, these signals were projected onto STRING interactome, to elicit modules and hub genes linked to response.

Overall, 1834 patients were included: 119 from Italy (R = 94, NR = 25), 81 from Germany (R = 61, NR = 20), and 1634 from Sweden (R = 1349, NR = 285). The top-associated variant was rs11132400_T (p = 1.33 × 10^-6, OR = 0.58), affecting expression of several genes in the locus, like KLKB1. The interactome analysis implicated a module of 135 genes, with over-representation of terms like canonical WNT signaling pathway (p_adjust = 7.08 × 10^-6). Response-associated genes like GRB2 and LRP6, already implicated in MS pathogenesis, were topologically prioritized within the module.

This GWAS, the largest pharmacogenomic study of response to NTZ, suggested MS-implicated genes and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, an essential component for blood-brain barrier formation and maintenance, to be related to treatment response.