Confirmation of GLRA3 as a susceptibility locus for albuminuria in Finnish patients with type 1 diabetes

Abstract Urinary albumin excretion is an early sign of diabetic kidney disease, affecting every third individual with diabetes. Despite substantial estimated heritability, only variants in the GLRA3 gene have been genome-wide significantly associated (p-value 7%; N = 2560, p = 1.7 × 10−9). Even though further studies are needed to pinpoint the causal variants, dissecting the association at the GLRA3 locus may uncover novel molecular mechanisms for diabetic albuminuria irrespective of population background.