Polymorphisms in genes of the BAFF/APRIL system may constitute risk factors of B-CLL--a preliminary study on a Polish population

B-cell activating factor (BAFF), BAFF promoter and BAFF receptor allelic variants in hepatitis C virus related Cryoglobulinemic Vasculitis and Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

Cryoglobulinemic Vasculitis (CV) is an autoimmune/lymphoproliferative disorder associated with HCV infection that in 5%-10% of cases evolves into a B cell Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL). B-cell activating factor (BAFF) is a key regulator in B-cell development and survival. Particular genetic variants are responsible for BAFF signaling impairment in autoimmune and neoplastic diseases. We evaluated BAFF and BAFF-receptor (BAFF-R) polymorphisms in order to determine if they predispose to HCV-related CV and NHL. The analysis was performed on 416 HCV-chronically infected patients: 136 HCV without signs/symptoms of lymphoproliferations/autoimmunity (HCV), 166 HCV with CV (HCV-CV) and 114 HCV with NHL (HCV-NHL). Rs9514828 SNP on BAFF promoter, rs61756766 on BAFF-R and rs12428930 on the BAFF gene were evaluated by Real-Time PCR. Concerning rs9514828, the frequency of C/T genotype was significantly higher in HCV-CV than in HCV. The difference in the distribution of the T/T mutant genotype in HCV-CV compared to HCV was significant as well as the distribution of C/T and T/T genotype in HCV-NHL versus HCV. T minor allele was more frequent in HCV-NHL and HCV-CV than in HCV. The distribution of C/T + T/T (for the dominant model of penetrance C/T + T/T vs. C/C) was significantly higher in HCV-CV and HCV-NHL than in HCV. Genotyping of rs61756766 on BAFF-R coding gene, revealed C/T heterozygosis at a frequency of 11% in HCV-NHL versus 3% in HCV. The T minor allele frequency was higher in HCV-NHL than in HCV. No differences emerged by genotyping rs12428930 SNP on BAFF coding gene. Our results reinforce the hypothesis that BAFF/BAFF-R genetic pattern has a role in the pathogenesis of HCV-related lymphoproliferations. BAFF/BAFF-R variants could identify a risk haplotype for HCV related CV and NHL and a BAFF/BAFF-R genetic profile assessment could potentially contribute to tailoring anti-BAFF therapy by identifying patients with BAFF alterations in which the treatment could be more beneficial.

Personalized Medicine for Kidney Transplantation: Association of Graft Survival and Acute Transplant Rejection with Genetic Variation in B Cell Activating Factor System Signaling

Kidney transplantation (KT) clinical outcomes are highly variable across patients and would benefit from predictive biomarkers to achieve personalized/precision medicine. The B cell activating factor (BAFF) system signaling plays an essential role in B lymphocytes' homeostasis, and is implicated in activation and survival of B lymphocytes. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in BAFF system genes are therefore strong candidates to identify the genetic mechanisms underpinning variable clinical outcomes in KT. We report here new findings on BAFF system genetic polymorphisms in KT patients in relation to two key phenotypes of clinical interest: graft survival and acute rejection (AR). A total of 168 KT patients, of which 29 suffered AR, participated in this study. The BAFF system polymorphisms in five genes TNFSF13B, TNFSF13, TNFRSF13C, TNFRSF13B, and TNFRSF17 were characterized using TaqMan SNP genotyping. Patients with KT who had an AA genotype in polymorphism rs3803800 of the TNFSF13 gene had a higher risk of suffering AR (p = 0.046; odds ratios = 3.38, 95% CI: 1.02-11.2). Moreover, patients with AA genotype (rs3803800) in the TNFSF13 gene had a significantly lower AR-free time than the GG/GA genotypes (69.2% vs. 85.7%; p = 0.037). Of importance, bioinformatics analysis showed that the polymorphism rs3803800 could alter splicing regulation and affect the proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL) expression levels. The analysis of graft survival did not show a significant association with the polymorphisms analyzed in this study. In conclusion, the rs3803800 genetic polymorphism from this study of BAFF system genes appears to display importance in AR-free time for KT patients, and thus, warrants further research in independent populations as a putative predictive biomarker of AR. These findings also inform future personalized/precision medicine efforts and functional genomic studies in KT patients.

Genetic Variations of CD40 and LTβR Genes Are Associated With Increased Susceptibility and Clinical Outcome of Non-Small-Cell Carcinoma Patients

Background

Immune system-related receptors CD40 (tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 5), BAFFR (tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 13C), and LTβR (tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 3) play a pivotal role in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). To further evaluate their role in NSCLC, CD40 rs1883832 (T>C), BAFFR rs7290134 (A>G), and LTβR rs10849448 (A>G) single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were investigated regarding their impact in risk and clinical outcome of NSCLC patients.

Methods

The three selected SNPs were evaluated in 229 NSCLC patients and 299 healthy controls, while CD40, BAFFR, and LTβR protein expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry in 96 tumor specimens from NSCLC patients.

Results

In total, CD40 rs1883832 was associated with NSCLC risk, with the T allele, after adjusting for cofactors, being related to increased risk (p = 0.007; OR 1.701). Moreover, the CT genotype was associated with increased risk (p = 0.024; OR 1.606) and poorer 5-year overall survival (OS) after adjusting for cofactors (p = 0.001, HR 1.829), while CC was associated with higher CD40 expression in tumorous cells (p = 0.040) and in stromal cells (p = 0.036). In addition, AA homozygotes for the LTβR rs10849448 had increased risk for NSCLC in multivariate analysis (p = 0.008; OR, 2.106) and higher LTβR membranous expression (p = 0.035). Although BAFFR rs7290134 was associated with BAFFR membranous expression (p = 0.039), BAFFR rs7290134 was not associated with neither the disease risk nor the prognosis of NSCLC patients.

Conclusions

In conclusion, CD40 rs1883832 and LTβR rs10849448 seem to be associated with increased risk for NSCLC, while CD40 rs1883832 is also associated with OS of patients with NSCLC.

Association of Common Variants of TNFSF13 and TNFRSF13B Genes with CLL Risk and Clinical Picture, as Well as Expression of Their Products-APRIL and TACI Molecules

Interactions between APRIL (TNFSF13) and its receptor TACI (TNFRSF13B) are implicated in providing survival benefits for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) cells. Here we explored the relationship between TNFSF13 and TNFRSF13B SNPs and expression of APRIL and TACI molecules and performed extended case-control study to evaluate earlier observations. Expression of APRIL and TACI was detected by FACS for 72 and 145 patients, respectively, and soluble APRIL was measured by ELISA in plasma of 122 patients. Genotypes were determined in 439 CLL patients and 477 control subjects with TaqMan Assays or restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). The rs4968210GG genotype of TNFSF13 was associated with a lower percentage of CD19⁺APRIL⁺ cells in CLL patients when compared to (AA + GA) genotypes (p-value = 0.027). Homozygosity at rs11078355 TNFRSF13B was associated with higher CD19⁺ TACI⁺ cell percentage in CLL patients (p-value = 0.036). The analysis of extended groups of patients and healthy controls confirmed the association of TNFSF13 rs3803800AA genotype with a higher CLL risk (OR = 2.13; CI95% = 1.21; 3.75; p-value = 0.007), while the possession of TNFRSF13B rs4985726G allele (CG + GG) genotype was associated with lower risk of CLL (OR = 0.69; CI95% = 0.51; 0.95; p-value = 0.02). Genetic variants of TNFSF13 and TNFRSF13B may have an impact on APRIL and TACI expression and may be considered as possible CLL risk factors.

Correlation of APRIL with production of inflammatory cytokines during acute malaria in the Brazilian Amazon

INTRODUCTION

A proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL) and B cell activation factor (BAFF) are known to play a significant role in the pathogenesis of several diseases, including BAFF in malaria. The aim of this study was to investigate whether APRIL and BAFF plasma concentrations could be part of inflammatory responses associated with P. vivax and P. falciparum malaria in patients from the Brazilian Amazon.

METHODS

Blood samples were obtained from P. vivax and P. falciparum malaria patients (n = 52) resident in Porto Velho before and 15 days after the beginning of treatment and from uninfected individuals (n = 12). We investigated APRIL and BAFF circulating levels and their association with parasitaemia, WBC counts, and cytokine/chemokine plasma levels. The expression levels of transmembrane activator and calcium-modulating cyclophilin ligand interactor (TACI) on PBMC from a subset of 5 P. vivax-infected patients were analyzed by flow cytometry.

RESULTS

APRIL plasma levels were transiently increased during acute P. vivax and P. falciparum infections whereas BAFF levels were only increased during acute P. falciparum malaria. Although P. vivax and P. falciparum malaria patients have similar cytokine profiles during infection, in P. vivax acute phase malaria, APRIL but not BAFF levels correlated positively with IL-1, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, and IL-13 levels. We did not find any association between P. vivax parasitaemia and APRIL levels, while an inverse correlation was found between P. falciparum parasitaemia and APRIL levels. The percentage of TACI positive CD4+ and CD8+ T cells were increased in the acute phase P. vivax malaria.

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that the APRIL and BAFF inductions reflect different host strategies for controlling infection with each malaria species.

Association of variants in BAFF (rs9514828 and rs1041569) and BAFF-R (rs61756766) genes with the risk of chronic lymphocytic leukemia

The B-cell activator factor (BAFF)/BAFF receptor (BAFF-R) axis seems to play an important role in the development and progression of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Here, we investigated the association of eight single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the BAFF (TNFSF13B) and BAFF-R (TNFRSF13C) genes with risk of sporadic CLL in a group of 439 CLL patients and 477 controls. We also examined the correlation between selected SNPs and CLL clinical parameters as well as BAFF plasma levels and intracellular BAFF expression. Our results point to a possible association between the rs9514828 (CT vs. CC + TT; OR = 0.74; CI 95 % = 0.57; 0.97; p = 0.022) and rs1041569 (AT vs. AA + TT; OR = 0.72; CI 95 % = 0.54; 0.95; p = 0.021) of BAFF gene and rs61756766 (CC vs. CT; OR = 2.03; CI 95 % = 1.03; 3.99; p = 0.03) of BAFF-R gene and CLL risk. Additionally, we observed that homozygotes rs1041569 AA and TT had a slightly higher risk (HR = 1.12) for the need of treatment in comparison to AT heterozygotes. In conclusion, our results indicate that SNPs in BAFF and BAFF-R genes may be considered as potential CLL risk factors.