Extended analysis of a genome-wide association study in primary sclerosing cholangitis detects multiple novel risk loci

Background & Aims: A limited number of genetic risk factors have been reported in primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). To discover further genetic susceptibility factors for PSC, we followed up on,a second tier of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from a genome-wide association study (GWAS). Methods: We analyzed 45 SNPs in 1221 PSC cases and 3508 controls. The association results from the replication analysis and the original GWAS (715 PSC cases and 2962 controls) were combined in a meta-analysis comprising 1936 PSC cases and 6470 controls. We performed an analysis of bile microbial community composition in 39 PSC patients by 16S rRNA sequencing. Results: Seventeen SNPs representing 1…