541 | id == 541
541 | category_id == 29
541 | category_order == 26
541 | category_name == Lupus
541 | category_color == #C47AC0
541 | slug == ITGAM-lupus
541 | title == A Gene That Regulates Complex Immune Cell Activity in Lupus (ITGAM)
541 | meta_description == ITGAM helps prevent inflammation and autoimmunity. Variants of ITGAM are linked to lupus. Read more here.
541 | summary == <p style="text-align:justify"><strong>The <em>ITGAM </em>gene codes for a protein that plays complex roles in the prevention of inflammation, tissue damage, and autoimmunity. Keep reading to find out more about these roles, and how their alteration by <em>ITGAM</em> variants may promote the development of lupus.</strong><br />  &nbsp;</p>
541 | overall_score_text == Your Lupus Score (based on ITGAM gene)
541 | image == https://sd-selfdecode-assets-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/background/ITGAX-ITAGAM-Lupus.jpg
541 | author_id == 14
541 | author_name == Shany Lahan
541 | author_title == MS (Neuroscience)
541 | author_order == 5
541 | author_photo == https://sd-selfdecode-assets-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/author-photo/Shany.webp
541 | author_intro == <p>Shany received her MSc in Neuroscience from Western University.</p>    <p>Prior to joining SelfDecode, Shany conducted research related to Alzheimer&rsquo;s disease, and taught science to undergraduate students. She believes that research should be accessible to everyone, regardless of scientific background. Shany joined SelfDecode&nbsp;with a mission to help others optimize their health and wellbeing &ndash; as well as help them understand the science behind it all.</p>
541 | reviewer == None
541 | medical_reviewer_id == 11
541 | medical_reviewer_name == Puya Yazdi
541 | medical_reviewer_title == MD
541 | publish_date == 2020
541 | publish_date == 12
541 | publish_date == 10
541 | avg_rating == 5.0
541 | tags_id == 972
541 | tags_name == A20
541 | tags_id == 372
541 | tags_name == Blood vessels
541 | tags_id == 1027
541 | tags_name == CD11b
541 | tags_id == 1026
541 | tags_name == CR4
541 | tags_id == 1024
541 | tags_name == Integrin
541 | tags_id == 1022
541 | tags_name == ITGAM Gene
541 | tags_id == 1023
541 | tags_name == ITGAX Gene
541 | tags_id == 1025
541 | tags_name == Mac-1
541 | tags_id == 369
541 | tags_name == NF-κB
541 | tags_id == 947
541 | tags_name == White Blood Cells
541 | permissions_favorite == False
541 | permissions_rate == False
541 | content_article == <h2 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Summary</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">ITGAM </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">gene codes for CD11b, part of a molecule that helps regulate the activity of immune cells in order to prevent inflammation, tissue damage, and autoimmunity. Variants of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">ITGAM </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">may play a role in lupus by promoting the production of dysfunctional CD11b. Lifestyle and supplement modifications may counteract the effects of these variants by increasing the production of an immune response suppressor.</span></span></p> <h2 style="text-align: justify;"><strong><em>ITGAM</em></strong><strong> and Lupus</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">White blood cells are constantly circulating the body, ready to mount immune responses to threats such as foreign invaders (e.g., bacteria) or to injury. In order to mount these immune responses, white blood cells must migrate across blood vessels, to tissues -- specifically at sites where threats are found [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26471775/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22395664/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The slowing and immobilization of circulating white blood cells is essential to this process, and depends on the activity of integrins. Integrins are surface molecules that enable white blood cells to stick to the inner lining of blood vessels [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26471775/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22395664/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14634125/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The </span><a href="https://selfdecode.com/gene/itgam/"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">ITGAM</span></em></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">gene codes for CD11b, one of two proteins that combine to form the integrin molecule Mac-1 [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/3684"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">At the site of infection or injury, Mac-1 may prevent various immune cells from becoming activated or from developing into inflammatory cell types. Mac-1 may also promote the removal of dying cells and foreign invaders [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4410990/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17003381/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2118631/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20639876/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2862476/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23753600/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The actions of Mac-1 may therefore be crucial to preventing excessive inflammation, tissue damage, and the production of antibodies that target the body&rsquo;s own tissues (autoantibodies) [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4410990/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17003381/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2118631/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20639876/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2862476/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23753600/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">For example, Mac-1 may partly prevent inflammation and autoantibody formation by stimulating the immune suppressor </span><a href="https://selfdecode.com/blog/article/TNFAIP3-lupus-529/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">A20</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and blocking the activity of </span><a href="https://selfhack.com/blog/nuclear-factor-kappa-b/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">NF-kB</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5742326/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23753600/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2862476/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7923371/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32334614/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400; background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;"><em>ITGAM </em>codes for one of two proteins that combine to form the integrin molecule Mac-1. Mac-1 helps white blood cells cross blood vessels in order to reach sites of infection or injury. Once there, Mac-1 may help prevent inflammation, tissue damage, and autoantibody formation, partly by stimulating the immune suppressor A20.</span></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Indeed, mice that lack Mac-1 have been reported to display features and symptoms characteristic of the autoimmune disorder lupus [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15277234/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23753600/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The </span><a href="https://selfdecode.com/gene/itgax/"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">ITGAX</span></em></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> gene, coding for one of two proteins that form the integrin CR4, is closely related to </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">ITGAM</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and shares many of its functions [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/3687"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18204098/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Interestingly, certain polymorphisms have been determined to affect both </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">ITGAM </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">and </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">ITGAX</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, such that either or both of these genes may be involved in the progression of lupus. These polymorphisms may lower the activity of integrins, which may lead to inflammation, tissue damage, and autoantibody formation [</span><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ng.3434"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms16021"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4966635/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://europepmc.org/article/med/19838195"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18204098/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24608226/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400; background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">Variants of <em>ITGAM </em>may promote the development of the autoimmune disorder lupus. These variants may also affect <em>ITGAX</em>, a gene that codes for part of an integrin molecule with functions similar to Mac-1.<br /></span></p> <h2 style="text-align: left;"><strong>Your </strong><strong><em>ITGAM</em></strong><strong> Results for Lupus</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;">*4772896211621571*</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Primary SNP:</strong></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong><em>ITGAM </em></strong><a href="https://selfdecode.com/snp/rs1143679/"><strong>rs1143679</strong></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">[</span><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ng.3434"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms16021"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4966635/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></p> <ul style="text-align: justify;"> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;A&rsquo; = Higher odds of lupus</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;G&rsquo; = Not associated with lupus</span></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Other Important SNPs:</strong></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong><em>ITGAM </em></strong><a href="https://selfdecode.com/snp/rs11860650/"><strong>rs11860650</strong></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">[</span><a href="https://europepmc.org/article/med/19838195"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></p> <ul style="text-align: justify;"> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;T&rsquo; = Higher odds of lupus</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;C&rsquo; = Not associated with lupus</span></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong><em>ITGAM </em></strong><a href="https://selfdecode.com/snp/rs34572943/"><strong>rs34572943</strong></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">[</span><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms16021"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></p> <ul style="text-align: justify;"> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;A&rsquo; = Higher odds of lupus</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;G&rsquo; = Not associated with lupus&nbsp;</span></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: justify;">*7114689531572076*</p> <h2 style="text-align: left;"><strong>Recommendations for Managing Lupus</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;">*4644100752455889*</p> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Lifestyle</strong></h3> <h4 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Acupuncture&nbsp;</strong></h4> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">In a study of rats, a form of</span> <a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/acupuncture-benefits-mechanisms-risks/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">acupuncture</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> involving electric currents (electroacupuncture) was found to suppress NF-kB activation by increasing the production of A20. This suggests that acupuncture may be beneficial for individuals carrying risk variants of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">ITGAM </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">[</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27716383/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Acupuncture may help relieve muscle </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/pain-management/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">pain</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> associated with lupus. In a small trial of lupus patients, standard care failed to reduce pain, while a 10-session course of acupuncture reduced pain by at least 30% in the patients who received it [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3633212/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">Acupuncture may help manage lupus by increasing the production of A20 and suppressing NF-kB.</span></p> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Supplements</strong></h3> <h4 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Omega-3 Fatty Acids</strong></h4> <p style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/fish-oil-top-22-science-based-health-benefits-of-fish-oil/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Omega-3</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> fatty acids increased the production of A20 in cell- and animal-based studies, suggesting that they may counteract </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">ITGAM </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">risk variants [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25631736/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19056659/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">In 6 clinical trials of patients with lupus, supplementation with 3-20 g omega-3 per day for up to 6 months improved symptoms, fatigue, quality of life, blood vessel function, blood fat profile, inflammatory markers, and oxidative stress [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2186476/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1004457/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15290734/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17875549/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4538741/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7562770/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, the results are mixed: omega-3 fatty acids were ineffective at improving lupus severity and kidney damage in 4 trials [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8355469/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8172205/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29173690/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3805738/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">Omega-3 fatty acids may help manage lupus by increasing A20 production.</span></p> <h4 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Zinc</strong></h4> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">A20 requires </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;"> for its activation, and studies have shown that zinc may even suppress NF-kB by increasing A20 production [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5306179/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6054342/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2277319/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">People with autoimmune diseases, including lupus, are more likely to have a zinc deficiency than the healthy population. In animals, zinc deprivation worsened the symptoms of autoimmune diseases [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5793296/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6982939/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Zinc is available as a supplement, and the richest dietary sources of zinc include beef, pork, oysters and other seafood [</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 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">Zinc may help manage lupus by increasing A20 production.</span></p>
541 | content_snp_table_4772896211621571_key == 4772896211621571
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541 | content_snp_table_4772896211621571_hidden == False
541 | content_learn_more_7114689531572076_key == 7114689531572076
541 | content_learn_more_7114689531572076_blur == True
541 | content_learn_more_7114689531572076_hidden == False
541 | content_learn_more_7114689531572076_text == Based on the variants we looked at, your ITGAM gene makes you somewhat more likely to develop lupus. However, this doesn't necessarily reflect your overall risk of lupus; it’s just one gene related to it. Acupuncture, omega-3 supplements, and zinc supplements may help. Keep scrolling to find out more.
541 | content_recommendation_4644100752455889_key == 4644100752455889
541 | content_recommendation_4644100752455889_blur == True
541 | content_recommendation_4644100752455889_hidden == False
rsIDs = rs34572943,rs1143679,rs11860650
rsStatus = rs34572943,ITGAM,chr16,31261032,G,A,,,17,4,HET
rsStatus = rs1143679,ITGAM,chr16,31265490,G,A,,,20,8,HET
rsStatus = rs11860650,ITGAM,chr16,31315385,C,T,,,24,15,HET
