HLA-B*27 gene mutation causing UC symptoms??

Was at a rheumatology specialist the other day, and while he was looking over my recent blood tests, he mentioned something that I had not been told before, even with many blood tests analyzed and assorted doctors over the years. Seems I have a gene mutation HLA-B*27 which can manifest itself as symptoms of UC, as well as other auto-immune issues (which I also currently have). Interesting to me since I had UC symptoms for many years before eventually getting well by changing my diet. Never considered it was a gene mutation that may have initially caused my illness. I have since read that this mutation mutation affects bowel flora. Knowing the symptoms of UC, this makes sense. Was wondering if anyone else here has had this come up on their blood tests...and wondering if this is something that should be tested for.

23andme test in HLA region but they test SNPs. I think that's right anyway. A lot of people with ankylosing spondylitis have mutation on SNP according to 23andme discussion forums and they are saying it relates to that gene.

You say Kim "Never considered it was a gene mutation that may have initially caused my illness" - from what I understand these mutations make us susceptible. It's the whole new field of "epigenetics" genes getting turned off and on according to what is happening in our environment.

I have a SNP mutation on the HLA region at which rises odds of allergy to grass pollen. I only developed hayfever around the age of 30 though. I think it happened from being in an area with masses of pollen, my body seemed to start fighting it and then the gene expression was turned on.

23andme can't give out such detailed reports since the FDA cracked down on them but you can still get your raw data and run it through other sites for low cost.

It would be great if more people joined in on this. On here it mostly gets discussed on the MTHFR threads which I know look like double dutch if you have never looked into it before but if you take it slowly you can learn. It was through this that I worked out I was poisoning myself with my high dose B12 complex because I have genetic problems with metabolism of B12 and folate. I am also getting to the bottom of other mysteries, such as why I have virtually no wrinkles at the age of nearly 50 - bad news that I might have to go wrinkly to get healthy insides!

Where can I process my raw data to check on this gene?
I did genetic genie for methylation but don't see any other results such as HLA-B27.

Thanks for suggestions.

There's still so much to learn about HLA-B27, it's kind of maddening! I've read in books about UC that while over 90% of Caucasians with ankylosing spondylitis test positive for the marker, anywhere from 30% to 50% of UC patients will test negative. I'm negative but had both diseases, and my history of UC made it easier for the rheumatologist to diagnose spondylitis.

Yes I have the raw data and tried to go to interpretive and their website is down and not sure it sounds like the part I need will be operational.

I'm just curious, no other auto-immune troubles (yet) and I try to eat stuff to support healing. Diet made the biggest improvement in my symptoms so I feel I have done more for my UC than medical world.

you won't get the specific gene number from 23andme, it is a different system, you will get the SNPs. Other technology still very expensive but on its way
techcrunch.com/2014/02/05/dna-sequence/?utm_content=bufferd5250&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

I found genetic genie less useful. It's worth paying a bit. Also just got a good report from nutrahackers, they will tell you all supplement recommendations, they contradict each other of course - and I am off supplements after my bad methyl experiences until I have really understood all of my own SNPs.

Please excuse below hijack...

Pathogen - if you read this - been meaning to ping you about the image you linked for me on the B2 thread from autismpedia.org of the methylation cycle. I was fascinated to see cortisol down there in the bottom right corner. Not seen that on other images. I can't work out if it is linked with glutathione? For me I know I am always low cortisol so if I could learn how to up the pathway into cortisol production that would be really important, I think it would mean my body would handle small amounts of inflammation before things got out of control, and it would generally help my adrenal insufficiency symptoms - and this would be true perhaps for any UCer who does well on Pred. I worked out I must be low glutathione before doing the screen as Tylenol would trigger for me (medics never believe that) and Tylenol/paracetamol leeches glutathione.

I haven't looked into GAD1 at all but am homoz for two snps and hetero for one in there if that is of interest of you.

I am hetero for all 3 FUT2 snps - and that I believe is fucose which is certainly implicated in bowel mucuos.

What I need to look into is cox6 in the mitochondrial - hetero on 7 snps! This would be really bad news for prostate cancer if I was a man I read.

Meanwhile, back to the conversation we had way back about ammonia, I can see that it makes real sense from the image you linked that the ammonia goes back around and gets stuck at arginine - hence all my trouble with HSV fever blisters as they trigger with arginine My ancestors must have downregulated production of cysteine with all that chicken soup they ate! So my cystathionine is not converting to cysteine. Fascinating too to see on the image that if glutathione does not get fed, it can go to taurine and sulfite - because, what do we get in UC? - lots of sulphate reducing bacteria and a recently found bacteria that feed on taurine conjugated bile. So routing the cycle into glutathione would seem key?

So, due to this need to look at glutathione I have come to glycine and am looking at GNMT. I think this is definitely part of the cycle blockage for me as Glycine can dump collagen and given I have very few wrinkles for my age, there must be something going on with excess collagen ?

Also, there are new learnings coming every day, just this week a report out that seems to get to the bottom of why adding folate is not reducing stroke risk for many
another pathway - they are calling it FOCM
www.nih.gov/news/health/mar2014/nhgri-20.htm

Post Edited (London Lurker) : 4/6/2014 11:26:19 AM (GMT-6)

London,
I think the cortisol likely has to do with your Glutamine/Gaba balance being off. I really need to do a post about it but Dr. Amy Yasko has good deal on it.

Also, do you have CBS mutations? Do you have any ace or shmt issues?

FUT2, NOS are also popular UC snps.

COX, NDUFS7/8.. and the mitochondrial snps also seem to impact most everyone with chronic disease. Usually its one gene that has alot of snps that are heterozygous or homozygous.

Hmm, must not be too hasty about opening it up though as that study I linked to is saying Serine implicated in cancers and serine and glycine dietary restriction can inhibit some tumours....

Thanks PK. I get confused by lactoferrin recommendations because is that not the same substance as faecal lactoferrin that is measured and when it is high it means inflammation in the bowel?

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12818275

Always borderline anaemic - I suspect vitamin B2 is at play here too

Thanks PK, I replied on there too. So I think of it like CRP in the bloods. Goes up when in flare but is not what causes the difficulty and is a good sign that body is trying to fight the inflammation.

Worth dropping Larry Smarr an email perhaps about biofilms? You never know...

Lol Somedude.

Thank you. I will look out for it.

The real question is whether knowing your genetic suscpeptibility can help with treatment or cure.