Importantly, we discovered that serum protein levels of MST1 (Macrophage Stimulating 1) were regulated by SNP rs3197999 (p = 5.96E-10, FDR<5%), an accepted GWAS locus for IBD.
Therefore, the gain of function observed with rs3197999 in MST1 might provide a cellular mechanism for the consistent association of this polymorphism with an increased risk for IBD and PSC.