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Published on: October 13, 2023
CFHR3*B Haplotype, Complement Activation, and Risk of IgA Nephropathy
Yongji Zhang1,2,3,4,5, Honghong Zou1,2,3,4,5,6, Xinran Ni1,2,3,4,5
1Renal Division, Department of Medicine, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China.
Insights
The CFHR3*B haplotype increases IgA nephropathy risk by enhancing complement activation. This variant elevates Factor H-related protein 3 (FHR3) levels and function, promoting disease progression.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Genetics
- Nephrology
Background:
- Complement activation plays a role in IgA nephropathy (IgAN).
- Previous studies linked CFHR3/CFHR1 deletion to IgAN protection.
- The CFHR3*B haplotype is associated with increased CFHR3 transcription and atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome risk.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between the CFHR3*B haplotype and IgA nephropathy susceptibility.
- To determine the functional impact of the CFHR3*B haplotype on complement regulation and CFHR3 transcription.
Main Methods:
- Genetic analysis of 1108 IgAN patients and 630 controls.
- Luciferase activity assays to assess CFHR3 transcriptional activity.
- Recombinant protein analysis of the rs138675433 coding variant (FHR3241Ser).
Main Results:
- The CFHR3*B haplotype and CFHR3*BB genotype were more frequent in IgAN patients.
- CFHR3*BB genotype correlated with lower C3 levels and increased glomerular C3 deposition.
- The CFHR3*B haplotype enhanced CFHR3 transcription, with rs446868 as the functional variant. The FHR3241Ser variant showed increased C3b binding and Factor H deregulation, accelerating complement activation and hemolysis. FHR3241Ser augmented IgA deposition-induced complement activation in mesangial cells.
Conclusions:
- The CFHR3*B haplotype is a susceptibility variant for IgA nephropathy.
- This haplotype accelerates complement activation via enhanced transcription (rs446868A) and augmented FHR3 function (rs138675433T).
- These findings elucidate a novel mechanism linking complement dysregulation to IgAN pathogenesis.
Key Points:
CFHR3*B haplotype was a susceptibility variant for IgA nephropathy diagnosis by enhancing complement activation. The rs446868A variant in CFHR3*B elevated CFHR3 transcription and was associated with higher circulating FHR3 levels in patients with IgA nephropathy. FHR3241Ser variant enhanced C3b binding and complement activation, accelerating IgA deposition-induced complement activation in IgA nephropathy.
Background:
Complement activation is involved in IgA nephropathy. We previously identified that genetic deletion of CFHR3 and CFHR1 confers protection against IgA nephropathy by modulating complement activation. In addition, the CFHR3*B haplotype (rs385390C/rs446868A/rs138675433T/rs149352569T) has been linked to elevated CFHR3 transcription and higher risk of atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome.
Methods:
We evaluated the association between the CFHR3*B haplotype and IgA nephropathy susceptibility by using genetic analysis of 1108 patients with IgA nephropathy and 630 healthy controls. Luciferase activity assays were performed to assess the transcriptional activity of CFHR3*B haplotype. The coding variant rs138675433 (FHR3 241Pro versus FHR3 241Ser ) was assessed using recombinant proteins to determine its effect on complement regulation.
Results:
The CFHR3*B haplotype and CFHR3*BB genotype were significantly enriched in patients with IgA nephropathy. The CFHR3*BB genotype correlated with lower circulating C3 levels and greater glomerular C3 deposition. Luciferase activity assays demonstrated enhanced transcription activity conferred by the CFHR3*B haplotype, with rs446868 identified as the functional regulatory variant. Patients carrying the CFHR3*BB genotype exhibited elevated circulating FHR3 levels. FHR3 241Ser exhibited significantly enhanced C3b-binding capacity and factor H deregulation activity, promoting accelerated C3 convertase formation and increased hemolysis. Furthermore, FHR3 241Ser augmented IgA deposition-induced complement activation on cultured mesangial cells in a dose-dependent manner.
Conclusions:
Our results identified CFHR3*B haplotype as a susceptibility variant for IgA nephropathy diagnosis by accelerating complement activation, through rs446868A enhancing transcription activity and rs138675433T augmenting FHR3 function.
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