The association of HLA-DRB1 and HLA-DQB1 alleles with genetic susceptibility to multiple sclerosis in the Slovak population

Exercise Reverses Immune-Related Genes in the Hippocampus of Multiple Sclerosis Patients

BACKGROUND

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease characterized by inflammatory demyelinating lesions in the white matter of the central nervous system. Studies have shown that exercise is beneficial for multiple sclerosis (MS). However, the molecular basis is largely unknown.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We integrated multiple blood and hippocampus transcriptome data from subjects with physical activity or MS. Transcription change associations between physical activity and MS were analyzed with bioinformatic methods including GSEA (Gene Set Enrichment Analysis) and GO (Gene Ontology) analysis.

RESULTS

We find that exercise can specifically reverse immune-related genes in the hippocampus of MS patients, while this effect is not observable in blood. Moreover, many of these reversed genes encode immune-related receptors. Interestingly, higher levels of physical activity have more pronounced effects on the reversal of MS-related transcripts.

CONCLUSIONS

The immune-response related genes or pathways in the hippocampus may be the targets of exercise in alleviating MS conditions, which may offer new therapeutic clues for MS.

Olfatory HLA-associated mechanism of formation of married couples in the development of congenital heart diseases in children

Taking into account the significance of the HLA complex in the inflammatory and immune responses, we can assume that the potential for limiting or developing pathology in the next generation will be determined at the stage of selection of certain alleles in the spousal genotype.The aim. To study the role of HLA assortativity in couples with healthy children and couples with children with congenital heart diseases (CHD) through the prism of immunogenetic mechanisms of mutual olfactory choice.Materials and methods. We studied the distribution of HLA-DRB1 alleles in married couples with healthy children and with children having CHD. To identify the associations of HLA-DRB1 alleles with odor preferences, we also studied the group included young males and females. HLA-DRB1 gene typing was carried out in all participants.Results. The combination of HLA-DRB1 alleles in couples with healthy children was similar to the combination of these alleles in the mutual olfactory sympathy between unfamiliar young males and females. Allele combinations in the spouses from the experimental group differ from the group of random selection. The frequency of matches for HLA-DRB1 alleles in married couples with children having CHD without was significantly higher than in the control group.Conclusion. The first stage of selection, associated with olfactory selection, is aimed to the whole population, and it is significantly manifested in the control group (married couples with healthy children). At the same time, in the experimental group (couples with children having CHD), some deviations from the main selection were discovered. Generally, specific HLA-DRB1 allele combinations obtained on the basis of olfactory assessments, indicate the involvement of HLA molecules in pheromone reception.

Alzheimer's Disease Risk Variant rs3865444 in the CD33 Gene: A Possible Role in Susceptibility to Multiple Sclerosis

Polymorphisms in genes encoding receptors that modulate the activity of microglia and macrophages are attractive candidates for participation in genetic susceptibility to multiple sclerosis (MS). The aims of the study were to (1) investigate the association between Alzheimer’s disease-linked variant rs3865444:C>A in the CD33 gene and MS risk, (2) assess the effect of the strongest MS risk allele HLA-DRB1*15:01 on this association, and (3) analyze the correlation of rs3865444 with selected clinical phenotypes, i.e., age of onset and disease severity. CD33 rs3865444 was genotyped in a cohort of 579 patients and 1145 controls and its association with MS risk and clinical phenotypes was analyzed by logistic and linear regression analysis, respectively. Statistical evaluation revealed that rs3865444 reduces the risk of MS in the HLA-DRB1*15:01-positive subpopulation but not in the cohort negative for HLA-DRB1*15:01. A significant antagonistic epistasis between rs3865444 A and HLA-DRB1*15:01 alleles in the context of MS risk was detected by the interaction synergy factor analysis. Comparison of allele and genotype distribution between relapsing-remitting MS, secondary progressive MS, and control groups revealed that rs3865444 C to A substitution may also be associated with a decreased risk of transition of MS to its secondary progressive form, irrespective of the HLA-DRB1*15:01 carrier status. On the other hand, no correlation could be found between rs3865444 and the age of disease onset or MS severity score. Future studies are required to shed more light on the role of CD33 in MS pathogenesis.

Novel Heterozygous Variants in the HLA-DRB1 Gene in a Saudi Family with Early-Onset Familial Multiple Sclerosis: Therapeutic Failure and Success

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurodegenerative disease that affects the central nervous system. Familial MS is arbitrarily defined as a type of MS that runs in families with one or more first- to third-degree relatives in addition to the index case affected by MS. The aim of this article is to report a unique case of familial MS from Saudi Arabia with two novel variants in the HLA-DRB1 gene that may contribute to the pathogenesis. We observed an unfavorable response to interferon therapy and successful treatment using fingolimod therapy. This observation needs further study, including whether this lack of response is really specific to interferon treatment or possibly a chance occurrence. This family work-up illustrates the importance of genetic testing in identifying variants associated with familial MS, especially if more than two members of the same family are affected. Although this genetic tool is used mainly for research purposes, it had clinical implications for our patient, including the appropriate selection of disease-modifying therapy and prognostic counseling. Further large-scale studies are needed to expand the genetic spectrum of familial MS with clinical and pharmacologic correlation.

Class II HLA (DRB1, & DQB1) alleles and IL7R (rs6897932) variants and the risk for Multiple Sclerosis in Kerala, India

BACKGROUND

Different human leukocyte antigen (HLA) variants are known to modulate the risk of multiple sclerosis. The main objective of this study was to identify HLA-DRB1 and HLA-DQB1 alleles and Non -HLA gene IL7R (rs6897932) variants associated with MS.

METHODS

Patients attending the MS clinic, diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis as per Mc Donald diagnostic criteria were the subjects in the study. The association of the highly polymorphic HLA-DRB1 and HLA-DQB1 loci was determined by high resolution tissue typing and the genotyping of the IL7R (rs6897932) variants was performed by Sanger sequencing in MS patients (n = 81) and healthy individuals (n = 82).

RESULTS

HLA-DRB1*15:01/15:02 alleles (OR = 3.65; p< 0.0001) and HLA-DQB1*06:02 (OR=4.19, p<0.0001) were found to be positively associated while HLA-DRB1*14:04:01 (OR = 0.21; p = 0.0009) was found to be negatively associated with MS. The most significant predisposing HLA haplotype was found to be DRB1*15:01-DQB1*06:02 (OR=5.69, p<0.0001). Univariate analysis of IL7R SNP (rs6897932) showed no significant association with MS in our population whereas analysis of HLA-DRB1 alleles and IL7R (rs6897932) genotypes showed significant association between the HLA-DRB1*15:01/15:02 and the IL7R (rs6897932) CC genotype (OR = 3.58, p = 0.0002).

CONCLUSION

HLA-DRB1*15:01, 15:02 and DQB1*06:02 are the predisposing alleles while HLA-DRB1*14:04 is the protective allele for MS in our population.

Human leukocyte antigen-DQB1 polymorphisms and haplotype patterns in Guillain-Barré syndrome

Objective

The etiology of Guillain‐Barré syndrome (GBS) remains enigmatic, although genetic and environmental factors are speculated to be associated with this autoimmune condition. We investigated whether polymorphisms and the haplotype structures of the human leukocyte antigen (HLA)‐DQB1 gene relate to the autoimmune response to infection and affect the development of GBS.

Methods

HLA‐DQB1 polymorphic alleles (*0201, *030x, *0401, *050x, *060x) were determined for 151 Bangladeshi patients with GBS and 151 ethnically matched healthy controls using sequence‐specific polymerase chain reaction. Pairwise linkage disequilibrium (LD) and haplotype patterns were analyzed based on D ´statistics and the genotype package in R statistics, respectively. Association studies were conducted using Fisher's exact test and logistic regression analysis. The Bonferroni method was applied to correct for multiple comparisons, whereby the P‐value was multiplied with the number of comparisons and denoted as Pc (Pc, P corrected).

Results

No associations were observed between HLA‐DQB1 alleles and susceptibility to disease in the comparison between GBS patients and healthy subjects. Haplotype 9 (DQB1*0303‐*0601) tended to be less frequent among patients with GBS than healthy controls (P = 0.006, OR = 0.49, 95% CI = 0.30–0.82; Pc = 0.06). Haplotype 5 (DQB1*0501‐*0602) and the DQB1*0201 alleles were more frequent in the Campylobacter jejuni‐triggered axonal variant of GBS (P = 0.024, OR = 4.06, 95% CI = 1.25–13.18; Pc = 0.24) and demyelinating subtype (P = 0.027, OR = 2.68, 95% CI = 1.17–6.17; Pc = 0.35), though these associations were not significant after Bonferroni correction.

Interpretation

This study indicates that HLA‐DQB1 polymorphisms are not associated with susceptibility to GBS. In addition, these genetic markers did not influence the clinical features or serological subgroup in patients with C. jejuni‐triggered axonal variant of GBS.

Revisiting the association of HLA alleles and haplotypes with CYP21A2 mutations in a large cohort of patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia

The CYP21A2 gene encoding 21‑hydroxylase is on chromosome 6p21.3 within the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class III major histocompatibility complex and an association between congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) due to 21‑hydroxylase deficiency and HLA class I and II alleles has been shown in genetically isolated populations. One-third of CAH causing alleles are 30-kb deletions due to homologous recombination events between active and pseudogenes resulting in chimeric genes. The aim of this study was to re-visit the association between the CYP21A2 variants and HLA polymorphisms in a large ethnically diverse cohort of patients with CAH who underwent comprehensive CYP21A2 genotyping, including specification of chimeric gene subtypes (CAH CH-1 through CH-9 of CYP21A1P/CYP21A2 chimeras; CAH-X CH-1 through CH-3 of TNXA/TNXB chimeras) in alleles with 30-kb deletions. The study population included 201 patients (86 males, 115 females, age 3-75 years) with CAH due to 21‑hydroxylase deficiency (159 classic, 42 nonclassic) and 194 parents. Based on the availability of parental genotype, we determined the haplotypes of CYP21A2 mutations and HLA types in 95 probands (190 alleles). Five prevalent haplotype associations were found: p.V281L and B*14-C*08 (P < 0.0001); p.I172N and DQB1*03 (P = 0.035); and of the chimeric genes caused by 30-kb deletions: CH-1 and A*03 (P = 0.033); CH-5 and C*06-DRB1*07 (P < 0.0001); and CAH-X CH-1 and DQB1*03 (P = 0.004). Our findings show that a number of associations between HLA alleles and haplotypes and CYP21A2 mutations, including large 30-kb deletions, exist commonly across ethnicities. These HLA associations may have clinical implications for patients with CAH and may provide insight into the genetics of this highly complex region of the human genome.

The HLA-DRB1 and HLA-DQB1 alleles are associated with multiple sclerosis disability progression in Slovak population

OBJECTIVE

The aim of our present study was to analyse the association of HLA-DRB1 and -DQB1 alleles and genotypes with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) disability progression in a cohort of Central European Slovak population.

METHODS

The allele and genotype variants were analyzed in 282 non-related MS patients. Rate of disease disability progression was evaluated using EDSS score in the 5^th, 7^th, 10^th, and 15^th year of disease duration, time to reach EDSS score 3 and 5, and MSSS score. Genotyping was performed by polymerase chain reaction with sequence-specific primers.

RESULTS

We found that carriers of homozygous genotype for alleles DRB1*15 and DQB1*03 reached EDSS score 3 significantly earlier than non-carriers of these alleles (p = 0.0172; p = 0.00183, respectively). Genotype DQB1*03/03 carriage was also associated with significantly reduced time to reach EDSS score 5 (p = 0.00316). Lower EDSS score in the 5^th year of disease duration was found in carriers of DRB1*07 allele (p _cor = 0.028). When MSSS score was used, genotype DRB1*15/15 was found to be less frequent in slow progressing MS patients, when compared to MS patients with mid-rate and rapid disease disability progression (p _cor = 0.0305).

DISCUSSION

We showed for the first time that HLA-DRB1 and -DQB1 genotypes are genetic markers associated with disability progression in Slovak MS patients. Genotypes DRB1*15/15 and DQB1*03/*03 were identified as short-term clinical negative prognostic factors, while allele DRB1*07 carriage appeared to be a positive prognostic marker of better MS outcome.

HLA class II polymorphism in Saudi patients with multiple sclerosis

Several studies have investigated the association of different HLA antigens with multiple sclerosis (MS). However, only few studies have considered the association of high-resolution HLA type and MS with none yet from Saudi Arabia. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of HLA class II alleles with MS in the Saudi population. We used next-generation sequencing to investigate HLA association with MS. This study was conducted at King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. We found that several HLA-DRB1 and DQB1 alleles were associated with MS. These alleles included HLA-DRB1*15:01 (odds ratio [OR]: 3.01; 95%, confidence interval [CI]: 1.68-5.54; P = .0001), HLA-DQB1*02:01 (OR: 1.76; 95% CI: 1.20-2.58; P = .0022), HLA-DQB1*06:02 (OR: 3.52; 95% CI: 1.87-6.86; P < .0001), and HLA-DQB1*06:03 (OR: 2.42; 95% CI: 1.16-5.25; P = 0.01). Interestingly, HLA-DRB1*15:01 was associated with increased risk of previous relapses. In addition, HLA-DRB1*15:01 and HLA-DQB1*06:02 were found to be associated with lower vitamin D levels. This study provides insights on the association of different HLA alleles with clinical characteristics and outcome of MS among Saudis. These insights can have future implications for the clinical management of MS based on the patient genetic profile.

Human leucocyte antigen (HLA) class I and II typing in Belgian multiple sclerosis patients

This is one of the first studies to compare the frequencies of different human leucocyte antigen (HLA) class I and II alleles and haplotype HLA-DRB1*15-DQB1*06 in a cohort of 119 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and a cohort of 124 healthy controls in Belgium. An association with MS was found for the HLA-DRB1*15 (odds ratio [OR] 2.60 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.51-4.50]) and HLA-DQB1*06 (OR 1.97 [95% CI 1.18-3.29]) alleles, and for haplotype DRB1*15-DQB1*06 (OR 2.63 [95% CI 1.52-4.56]). The HLA-B*07 allele also tended to be more frequent in MS patients (OR 1.46 [95% CI 0.80-2.65]) and more frequent among MS patients with than in those without the HLA-DRB1*15 allele (26/54 [48.1%] versus 6/65 [9.2%]; p value <0.0001). Other alleles were underrepresented in MS patients, such as the HLA-DRB1*07 (OR 0.39 [95% CI 0.21-0.73]) and HLA-A*02 (OR 0.56 [95% CI 0.34-0.94]), showing a protective role against the disease. The HLA-B*44 (OR 0.58 [95% CI 0.31-1.09]) and HLA-DRB1*04 (OR 0.75 [95% CI 0.42-1.34]) alleles tended to be less frequent in MS patients. Altogether, the significant results observed in this population are in line with those from other countries and confirm that propensity to MS can be due to a complex presence of various HLA class I and class II alleles.