Epistasis of ERAP1 With 4 Major Histocompatibility Complex Class I Alleles in Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia: A...

Frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA) is an inflammatory and scarring form of hair loss of increasing prevalence that most commonly affects women. An improved understanding of the genetic basis of FFA will support the identification of pathogenic mechanisms and therapeutic targets.

To identify novel genomic loci at which common genetic variation affects FFA susceptibility and assess nonadditive effects on genetic risk between susceptibility loci.

Four genome-wide association studies were combined using an SE-weighted meta-analysis. Within the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) locus, stepwise conditional analysis was undertaken to determine independently associated classical MHC class I alleles. Statistical tests for epistatic interaction were performed between risk alleles at the MHC and endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 1 (ERAP1) loci.

Genome-wide significant locus associated with FFA and nonadditive effects on genetic risk between susceptibility loci.

Of 6668 included patients, there were 1585 European female individuals with FFA and 5083 controls. Genome-wide significant associations were identified at 4 genomic loci, including a novel susceptibility locus at 5q15, and the association signal could be fine-mapped to a single nucleotide substitution (rs10045403) in the 5' untranslated region of ERAP1 (rs10045403; odds ratio, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.19-1.43; P = 3.6 × 10-8). Within the MHC, FFA risk was statistically independently associated with HLA-A*11:01, HLA-A*33:01, HLA-B*07:02, and HLA-B*35:01. FFA risk was affected by genetic variation at the ERAP1 locus only in individuals who carried at least 1 of the MHC class I risk alleles.

In this genome-wide meta-analysis, a supra-additive effect of genetic variation was found that affected peptide trimming and antigen presentation on FFA susceptibility. Patients with FFA may benefit from emerging therapeutic approaches that modulate ERAP-mediated processes.