IKZF1 and UBR4 gene variants drive autoimmunity and Th2 polarization in IgG4-related disease

IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a systemic immune-mediated fibroinflammatory disease whose pathomechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we identified gene variants in familial IgG4-RD and determined their functional consequences. All 3 affected members of the family shared variants of the transcription factor IKAROS, encoded IKZF1, , and the E3 ubiquitin ligase UBR4. The IKAROS variant increased binding to the FYN promoter, resulting higher transcription of FYN in T cells. The UBR4 variant prevented the lysosomal degradation of the phosphatase CD45. In the presence of elevated FYN, CD45 functioned as a positive regulatory loop, lowering the threshold cell activation. Consequently, T cells from the affected family members were hyperresponsive to stimulation. transduced with a low-avidity, autoreactive T cell receptor, their T cells responded to the autoantigenic peptide. In parallel, high expression of FYN in T cells biased their differentiation toward Th2 polarization by stabilizing transcription factor JunB. This bias was consistent with the frequent atopic manifestations in patients with RD, including the affected family members in the present study. Building on the functional consequences of variants, we propose a disease model that is not only instructive for IgG4-RD but also for atopic diseases autoimmune diseases associated with an IKZF1 risk haplotype.