About the Authors

Claudia C. Branco

Contributed equally to this work with: Claudia C. Branco, Cidália T. Gomes, Laura De Fez

Affiliations Molecular Genetics and Pathology Unit, Hospital of Divino Espirito Santo of Ponta Delgada, EPE, São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal, Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras, Portugal, BioISI – Biosystems & Integrative Sciences Institute, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal

Cidália T. Gomes

Contributed equally to this work with: Claudia C. Branco, Cidália T. Gomes, Laura De Fez

Affiliation Molecular Genetics and Pathology Unit, Hospital of Divino Espirito Santo of Ponta Delgada, EPE, São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal

Laura De Fez

Contributed equally to this work with: Claudia C. Branco, Cidália T. Gomes, Laura De Fez

Affiliation Molecular Genetics and Pathology Unit, Hospital of Divino Espirito Santo of Ponta Delgada, EPE, São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal

Sara Bulhões

Affiliation Molecular Genetics and Pathology Unit, Hospital of Divino Espirito Santo of Ponta Delgada, EPE, São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal

Maria José Brilhante

Affiliation Molecular Genetics and Pathology Unit, Hospital of Divino Espirito Santo of Ponta Delgada, EPE, São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal

Tânia Pereirinha

Affiliation Molecular Genetics and Pathology Unit, Hospital of Divino Espirito Santo of Ponta Delgada, EPE, São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal

Rita Cabral

Affiliation Molecular Genetics and Pathology Unit, Hospital of Divino Espirito Santo of Ponta Delgada, EPE, São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal

Ana Catarina Rego

Affiliation Gastroenterology Department, Hospital of Divino Espirito Santo of Ponta Delgada, EPE, São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal

Cristina Fraga

Affiliation Hematology Department, Hospital of Divino Espirito Santo of Ponta Delgada, EPE, São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal

António G. Miguel

Affiliation Pneumology Department, Hospital of Divino Espirito Santo of Ponta Delgada, EPE, São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal

Gracinda Brasil

Affiliation Internal Medicine Department, Hospital of Divino Espirito Santo of Ponta Delgada, EPE, São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal

Paula Macedo

Affiliation Internal Medicine Department, Hospital of Divino Espirito Santo of Ponta Delgada, EPE, São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal

Luisa Mota-Vieira

Luisa.MQ.Vieira@azores.gov.pt

Affiliations Molecular Genetics and Pathology Unit, Hospital of Divino Espirito Santo of Ponta Delgada, EPE, São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal, Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras, Portugal, BioISI – Biosystems & Integrative Sciences Institute, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal

Competing Interests

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Author Contributions

Conceived and designed the experiments: LMV CCB. Performed the experiments: CCB CTG LF SB MJB TP RC. Analyzed the data: CCB LMV. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: LMV ACR CF AGM GB PM. Wrote the paper: CCB LMV.