506 | id == 506
506 | category_id == 28
506 | category_order == 25
506 | category_name == Joint Inflammation
506 | category_color == #C47AC0
506 | slug == WDFY4-rheumatoid-arthritis
506 | title == How Does This Immune System Gene Affect Rheumatoid Arthritis? (WDFY4)
506 | meta_description == WDFY4 encodes a mysterious protein that is expressed throughout the immune system. What is its role in rheumatoid arthritis?
506 | summary == <p><strong><em>WDFY4 </em>encodes a protein with unknown function that is expressed throughout the immune system. What is its role in rheumatoid arthritis? Learn more here.</strong></p>
506 | overall_score_text == Your Arthritis Score (based on WDFY4)
506 | image == https://sd-selfdecode-assets-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/background/LRRC18-WDFY4-Rheumatoid-arthritis.jpg
506 | author_id == 1
506 | author_name == Jasmine Foster
506 | author_title == BSc, BEd
506 | author_order == 36
506 | author_photo == https://sd-selfdecode-assets-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/author-photo/Jasmine.jpg
506 | author_intro == <p><strong>Jasmine received her BS from McGill University and her BEd from Vancouver Island University.</strong></p>    <p>Jasmine loves helping people understand their brains and bodies, a passion that grew out of her dual background in biology and education. From the chem lab to the classroom, everyone has the right to learn and make informed decisions about their health.</p>
506 | reviewer == None
506 | medical_reviewer_id == 11
506 | medical_reviewer_name == Puya Yazdi
506 | medical_reviewer_title == MD
506 | publish_date == 2020
506 | publish_date == 11
506 | publish_date == 25
506 | avg_rating == 5.0
506 | tags_id == 33
506 | tags_name == Autoimmunity
506 | tags_id == 95
506 | tags_name == Immune System
506 | tags_id == 24
506 | tags_name == Inflammation
506 | tags_id == 82
506 | tags_name == Rheumatoid Arthritis
506 | tags_id == 925
506 | tags_name == Th17
506 | tags_id == 979
506 | tags_name == WDFY4 Gene
506 | permissions_favorite == False
506 | permissions_rate == False
506 | content_article == <h2><strong>Summary</strong></h2> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">WDFY4 </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">encodes WD repeat- and FYVE domain-containing protein 4. Variants of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">WDFY4</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> may play a role in rheumatoid arthritis by altering the function of immune cells. Lifestyle, diet and supplement modifications may counteract the effects of these variants by supporting WDFY4 function and blocking autoimmune signalling.</span></p> <h2><strong><em>WDFY4 </em></strong><strong>and Rheumatoid Arthritis</strong></h2> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The </span><a href="https://selfdecode.com/gene/wdfy4/"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">WDFY4</span></em></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">gene encodes a protein called WD repeat- and FYVE domain-containing protein 4. This protein is abundant in </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/how-to-increase-and-decrease-white-blood-cells/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">white blood cells</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and tissues that are important for the immune system, such as the lymph nodes, thymus, and spleen [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/57705"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22972472/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Very little is known about the WDFY4 protein except that it is expressed in the immune system and it requires zinc to function correctly [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22972472/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Despite this mystery, multiple studies have found associations between </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">WDFY4 </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">variants and autoimmune conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3944098/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://europepmc.org/article/med/30891314"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22972472/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3958877/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Researchers can only make informed guesses at the function of WDFY4 for the time being. Based on its structure and its abundance in immune tissues, some have speculated that it helps immune cells communicate with each other [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3958877/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Systemic lupus erythematosus, another autoimmune disease, is believed to be associated with reduced </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">WDFY4 </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">expression. Because lupus and rheumatoid arthritis have similar mechanisms, it is likely that rheumatoid arthritis also has lower </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">WDFY4</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22972472/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">WDFY4</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> encodes a protein with unknown function that is expressed mainly in immune tissues. Multiple studies have found variants in this gene that are associated with rheumatoid arthritis.</span></span></p> <h2><strong>Your </strong><strong><em>WDFY4</em></strong><strong> Results for Rheumatoid Arthritis</strong></h2> <p>*7074925727062851*</p> <p><a href="https://selfdecode.com/gene/wdfy4/"><strong>WDFY4</strong></a> <a href="https://selfdecode.com/snp/rs2671692/"><strong>rs2671692</strong></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3944098/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://europepmc.org/article/med/30891314"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;G&rsquo; = Not associated with rheumatoid arthritis</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;A&rsquo; = Associated with increased rates of rheumatoid arthritis</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The &lsquo;A&rsquo; allele may alter the function of immune cells, leading to increased inflammatory signalling [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3958877/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></li> </ul> <p>*9721009117129653*</p> <h2><strong>Recommendations for Improving Arthritic Inflammation</strong></h2> <p>*8042598708557689*</p> <h3><strong>Zinc</strong></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The WDFY4 protein contains structures called zinc fingers and requires a steady supply of </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/literally-everything-wanted-know-zinc-backed-science/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">zinc</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> to function properly [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22972472/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">People with rheumatoid arthritis have lower average </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/literally-everything-wanted-know-zinc-backed-science/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">zinc</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> levels in their hair, which may indicate a tendency to have low zinc over a long period of time [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3187853/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Zinc is available in supplement form, and the richest dietary sources are oysters, other seafood, and beef [</span><a href="https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Zinc-HealthProfessional/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400; background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">The WDFY4 protein requires zinc to function, and people with rheumatoid arthritis may be more susceptible to zinc deficiency.</span></p> <h3><strong>Avoid Cigarettes</strong></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Smoking increases the production of </span><a href="http://selfhacked.com/blog/interleukin-1/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">IL-1</span></a><a href="http://selfhacked.com/blog/th17/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">7</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (and other </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/natural-ways-lower-inflammation/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">inflammatory</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> cytokines) in the lungs. IL-17 is one of the major immune signals associated with autoimmune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis; researchers have speculated that WDFY4 may be involved in immune signalling, but we don&rsquo;t know which pathways might be affected [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26135024"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25844618"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3189547/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Smoking is one of the strongest environmental risk factors for developing rheumatoid arthritis. In one study, 88% of smokers tested positive for </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/rheumatoid-factor/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">rheumatoid factor</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> over a period of 10 years [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2898190/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11085797"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9833699"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Other studies have reported up to 4 times higher odds of having elevated rheumatoid factor in smokers [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1004225/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16403829"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9306868"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10743800"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11085797"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400; background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">Cigarette smoke increases the production of IL-17, an inflammatory signal associated with autoimmunity. Smoking is also a major risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis.</span></p> <h3><strong>Mediterranean Diet</strong></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Mediterranean diet is a popular anti-inflammatory diet that may reduce swelling and </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/pain-management/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">pain</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in arthritic joints. In a trial of 450 adults, it was able to reduce the levels of IL-17 [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23975674/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0379572118783950"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to one study of 51 patients, those eating a Mediterranean diet had significantly higher vitality scores (a measurement of energy, quality of life, and general function) than those eating a typical western diet [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23975674/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The anti-inflammatory effect of the Mediterranean diet may be due to its high content of </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/olive-oil/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">olive oil</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. In fact, people whose diets include a lot of olive oil are significantly less likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis than those who use other types of cooking oils [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10584053/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1771399/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400; background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">The Mediterranean diet may decrease IL-17 and improve the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.</span></p>
506 | content_snp_table_7074925727062851_key == 7074925727062851
506 | content_snp_table_7074925727062851_blur == True
506 | content_snp_table_7074925727062851_hidden == False
506 | content_learn_more_9721009117129653_key == 9721009117129653
506 | content_learn_more_9721009117129653_blur == True
506 | content_learn_more_9721009117129653_hidden == False
506 | content_learn_more_9721009117129653_text == Based on the variants we looked at, your WDFY4 gene is somewhat associated with rheumatoid arthritis. However, this doesn't necessarily reflect your overall risk of rheumatoid arthritis; it’s just one gene related to it. Zinc, a Mediterranean diet, and avoiding cigarettes may help. Keep scrolling to find out more.
506 | content_recommendation_8042598708557689_key == 8042598708557689
506 | content_recommendation_8042598708557689_blur == True
506 | content_recommendation_8042598708557689_hidden == False
rsIDs = rs2671692
rsStatus = rs2671692,WDFY4,chr10,48889774,G,A,T,,3,28,HET
