Common Disorders: It's Not the Genes Themselves, but How They Are Controlled

Many rare disorders are caused by gene mutation, like sickle cell anemia. Yet until now the underlying genetic cause of more common conditions -- for example, rheumatoid arthritis -- has evaded scientists for years.

New research from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine to appear in the journal Genome Research finds that six common diseases arise from DNA changes located outside genes. The study from the laboratory of Peter Scacheri, PhD, shows that multiple DNA changes, or variants, work in concert to affect genes, leading to autoimmune diseases including rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease, celiac disease, multiple sclerosis, lupus and colitis. Further, for each disease, multiple different genes are manipulated by several small differences in DNA.

The Scacheri laboratory conducted a bioinformatics analysis of new and preexisting data and developed computational tools to identify the switches and genes affected by DNA changes associated with common diseases.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/12/131220113207.htm