Complex genetic association of 6q23 with autoimmune rheumatic conditions

In the paper by Dieguez-Gonzalez and colleagues in the present issue of Arthritis Research & Therapy, the results of a detailed genetic investigation of the recently identified rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus susceptibility region at 6q23 containing the TNFAIP3 gene are reported. Their data confirm the complex nature of the association involving both the TNFAIP3 locus and a region >150 kb upstream that does not encode any known gene. These data are consistent with recent studies of systemic lupus erythematosus susceptibility confirming the presence of several independent genetic contributions to autoimmune rheumatic diseases arising from 6q23.