Genetics of Behcet's Disease: Functional Genetic Analysis and Estimating Disease Heritability

Behcet's disease is a chronic multisystemic inflammatory disorder characterized by recurrent oral and genital ulcers. Although its etiology remains unclear, it is thought that both genetic and environmental factors contribute to the onset and progression of Behcet's disease. Here, we provide an updated view of the genetic landscape and architecture of Behcet's disease. Large-scale genetic studies performed to date revealed 21 genetic susceptibility loci associated with the disease at a GWAS level of significance (p-value = 5 x 10(-8)). We performed epigenetic pattern enrichment analysis in Behcet's disease associated loci, providing new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying its pathophysiology. Our data suggest the crucial involvement of several immune cell types, including natural killer cells, monocytes, and B cells in the pathogenesis of the disease. Pathway enrichment analysis identified important biological processes involved. Using large-scale genetic data available from similar to 200 immune-related loci (Immunochip), we estimate Behcet's disease heritability to be at least 16%. We further used the same approach to estimate the heritability explained by the known Behcet's disease-associated loci, suggesting that they explain similar to 60% of the genetic component underlying Behcet's disease. These results indicate a significant role of non-genetic factors in causing Behcet's disease and that additional genetic variation influencing the risk of Behcet's disease remains to be identified. Finally, we calculated a cumulative genetic risk score across populations reinforcing the link between geographic variations in disease prevalence with its genetic component.

Automated summary

Behcet's disease is a chronic multisystemic inflammatory disorder with genetic and environmental factors contributing to its onset and progression. Genetic studies have identified 21 susceptibility loci associated with the disease, while epigenetic analysis has provided new insights into its pathophysiology. The involvement of immune cell types in disease pathogenesis and the importance of biological processes have been highlighted.