A Novel Complotype Combination Associates with Age-Related Macular Degeneration and High Complement Activation Levels in vivo

The complement system is the first line of defense against foreign intruders, and deregulation of this system has been described in multiple diseases. In age-related macular degeneration (AMD), patients have higher complement activation levels compared to controls. Recently, a combination of three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes of the complement system, referred to as a complotype, has been described to increase complement activation in vitro. Here we describe a novel complotype composed of CFB (rs4151667)-CFB (rs641153)-CFH (rs800292), which is strongly associated with both AMD disease status (p = 5.84*10(-13)) and complement activation levels in vivo (p = 8.31*10(-9)). The most frequent genotype combination of this complotype was associated with the highest complement activation levels in both patients and controls. These findings are relevant in the context of complement-lowering treatments for AMD that are currently under development. Patients with a genetic predisposition to higher complement activation levels will potentially benefit the most of such treatments.