LONDON, May 23 (UPI) -- British geneticists have found people with fewer than two copies of the gene FCGR3B are more susceptible to autoimmune disorders, including lupus.
Researchers at Imperial College London said evidence is mounting that, in addition to gene mutations, variation in the number of copies of individual genes can influence susceptibility to common diseases.
It was previously shown variation in the copy number of FCGR3B is associated with susceptibility to a kidney disease called glomerulonephritis. In the new study, Timothy Aitman and colleagues determined variation in the number of FCGR3B copies is associated more broadly with autoimmune disorders, including lupus, microscopic polyangiitis, and Wegener's granulomatosis.
The small group of individuals who have no copies of FCGR3B have a dramatically elevated risk of autoimmune disease.
The study appears online in the journal Nature Genetics.
