TY - JOUR T1 - Genetic Ancestry, Serum Interferon-α Activity, and Autoantibodies in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus JF - The Journal of Rheumatology JO - J Rheumatol SP - 1238 LP - 1240 DO - 10.3899/jrheum.111467 VL - 39 IS - 6 AU - KICHUL KO AU - BEVERLY S. FRANEK AU - MIRANDA MARION AU - KENNETH M. KAUFMAN AU - CARL D. LANGEFELD AU - JOHN B. HARLEY AU - TIMOTHY B. NIEWOLD Y1 - 2012/06/01 UR - http://www.jrheum.org/content/39/6/1238.abstract N2 - Objective. To investigate and refine the relationships among systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and related autoantibodies, interferon-α (IFN-α), and various ancestral backgrounds. Methods. We investigated quantitatively defined genetic ancestry through principal component analysis in place of self-reported ancestry. Results. African ancestry was found to be associated with presence of anti-RNP antibody (p = 0.0026), and anti-RNP was correlated with high levels of IFN-α (p = 2.8 × 10−5). Conclusion. Our data support a model in which African ancestry increases the likelihood of SLE-associated autoantibody formation, which subsequently results in higher levels of serum IFN-α. ER -