Taken together, our data suggest that rs78835907 G allele alters the binding affinity of HDAC2 to the DNA, which in turn reduces the expression of ATG16L1 (Fig. 2C and Supplementary Figure S1), consequently contributing to the more aggressive phenotype and poorer clinical outcome in prostate cancer (Figs 1 and 3). The gene discussed is ATG16L1; the disease is prostate carcinoma.