Genome Scan of M-tuberculosis Infection and Disease in Ugandans
PLOS ONE
Authors: Stein, Catherine M.; Zalwango, Sarah; Malone, LaShaunda L.; Won, Sungho; Mayanja-Kizza, Harriet; Mugerwa, Roy D.; Leontiev, Dmitry V.; Thompson, Cheryl L.; Cartier, Kevin C.; Elston, Robert C.; Iyengar, Sudha K.; Boom, W. Henry; Whalen, Christopher C.
Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), is an enduring public health problem globally, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Several studies have suggested a role for host genetic susceptibility in increased risk for TB but results across studies have been equivocal. As part of a household contact study of Mtb infection and disease in Kampala, Uganda, we have taken a unique approach to the study of genetic susceptibility to TB, by studying three phenotypes. First, we analyzed culture confirmed TB disease compared to latent Mtb infection (LTBI) or lack of Mtb infection. Second, we analyzed resistance to Mtb infection in the face of continuous exposure, defined by a persistently negative tuberculin skin test (PTST-); this outcome was contrasted to LTBI. Third, we analyzed an intermediate phenotype, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF alpha) expression in response to soluble Mtb ligands enriched with molecules secreted from Mtb (culture filtrate). We conducted a full microsatellite genome scan, using genotypes generated by the Center for Medical Genetics at Marshfield. Multipoint model-free linkage analysis was conducted using an extension of the Haseman-Elston regression model that includes half sibling pairs, and HIV status was included as a covariate in the model. The analysis included 803 individuals from 193 pedigrees, comprising 258 full sibling pairs and 175 half sibling pairs. Suggestive linkage (p, 10 23) was observed on chromosomes 2q21-2q24 and 5p13-5q22 for PTST-, and on chromosome 7p22-7p21 for TB; these findings for PTST-are novel and the chromosome 7 region contains the IL6 gene. In addition, we replicated recent linkage findings on chromosome 20q13 for TB (p = 0.002). We also observed linkage at the nominal a = 0.05 threshold to a number of promising candidate genes, SLC11A1 (PTST-p = 0.02), IL-1 complex (TB p = 0.01), IL12BR2 (TNF alpha p = 0.006), IL12A (TB p = 0.02) and IFNGR2 (TNF alpha p = 0.002). These results confirm not only that genetic factors influence the interaction between humans and Mtb but more importantly that they differ according to the outcome of that interaction: exposure but no infection, infection without progression to disease, or progression of infection to disease. Many of the genetic factors for each of these stages are part of the innate immune system.
Antibodies to hepatitis B virus surface antigen and interleukin 12 and interleukin 18 gene polymorphisms in hemodialysis patients
BMC NEPHROLOGY
Authors: Grzegorzewska, Alicja E.; Wobszal, Piotr M.; Mostowska, Adrianna; Jagodzinski, Pawel P.
Abstract
Background: The interleukin (IL)18 rs360719 CC genotype is associated with the development of antibodies to hepatitis B virus surface antigen (anti-HBs) in hemodialysis (HD) patients. IL18 shares biological properties with IL12 in promoting the T-hepler 1 (Th1) system. We studied whether polymorphisms in the IL12A 3' untranslated region (UTR) and IL12B 3'UTR may contribute to anti-HBs development (titre >= 10 IU/L) in HD patients either individually or jointly with the IL18 polymorphism. Methods: In 518 HD patients and 240 controls the IL12A rs568408 3'UTR G > A polymorphism was genotyped by high-resolution melting curve analysis. Polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism was used to detect the IL12B rs3212227 3'UTR A > C and IL18 -1297 T > C rs360719 polymorphisms. The associations between the IL12A, IL12B and IL18 genotypes and the risk of impaired anti-HBs development were estimated by computing the odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals using logistic regression analysis. Results: In the logistic regression analysis, the higher frequency of rs360719 CC individually (2.9% in 207 patients without anti-HBs development vs 8.0% in 311 patients with anti-HBs development, p = 0.009) and of rs360719 CC combined with rs568408 GG (p = 0.048), rs568408 GA (p = 0.035), rs568408 GG/AA (p = 0.034) or rs3212227 AA (p = 0.046) was associated with an increased chance for the development of anti-HBs in HD patients. Patients bearing both rs568408 AA and rs360719 TT had a 10.9-fold or 8.9-fold lower chance, respectively, to develop anti-HBs compared with those carrying any other genotype (p = 0.005) or those who had both wild-type rs568408 GG and rs360719 TT (p = 0.011). Carriers of both rs3212227 CC and rs360719 TC had a 4.6-fold lower chance for anti-HBs development than carriers of any other genotype (p = 0.042). Conclusion: Development of anti-HBs in HD patients is associated with gene polymorphisms of interleukins involved in the Th1 system.