Autoimmune disease variants regulate GSDMB gene expression in human immune cells and whole blood

There are four gasdermin (GSDM) proteins, including GSDMA, GSDMB, GSDMC, and GSDMD, in the human genome (1). Genome-wide association studies have reported genetic variants at 17q12.2.1 loci, including GSDMA , GSDMB , and ORDML3 genes, to be associated with kinds of autoimmune diseases, including asthma, type 1 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and rheumatoid arthritis (1). However, the potential genetic mechanisms are unknown (1). In a recent study in PNAS, Chao et al. (1) identified that the GSDMB gene SNPs (rs2305479 G > A and rs2305480 C > T), which are associated with an increased susceptibility to asthma and IBD, could alter the structure of GSDMB, a sulfatide and phosphoinositide binding protein. In their discussion, Chao et al. (1) describe that GSDMB may … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence may be addressed. Email: liuguiyou1981{at}163.com or qhjiang{at}hit.edu.cn. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1