A combined analysis, including all four populations, revealed that two SNPs at the MAMDC1 locus; rs961616 (P –value = 0.001, OR = 1.292, 95% CI 1.103–1.513) and rs2297926 (P – value = 0.003, OR = 1.349, 95% CI 1.109–1.640) significantly contribute to SLE susceptibility after correction for multiple testing. Here, MDGA2 is linked to systemic lupus erythematosus.