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Baker FS, Wang J, Florez-Vargas O, Brand NR, Ogwang MD, Kerchan P, Reynolds SJ, Tenge CN, Were PA, Kuremu RT, Wekesa WN, Masalu N, Kawira E, Kinyera T, Otim I, Legason ID, Nabalende H, Chagaluka G, Mutalima N, Borgstein E, Liomba GN, Kamiza S, Mkandawire N, Mitambo C, Molyneux EM, Newton R, Prokunina-Olsson L, Mbulaiteye SM. IFNL4 Genotypes and Risk of Childhood Burkitt Lymphoma in East Africa. J Interferon Cytokine Res 2023; 43:394-402. [PMID: 37366802 PMCID: PMC10623078 DOI: 10.1089/jir.2023.0014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Interferon lambda 4 (IFN-λ4) is a novel type-III interferon that can be expressed only by carriers of the genetic variant rs368234815-dG within the first exon of the IFNL4 gene. Genetic inability to produce IFN-λ4 (in carriers of the rs368234815-TT/TT genotype) has been associated with improved clearance of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The IFN-λ4-expressing rs368234815-dG allele (IFNL4-dG) is most common (up to 78%) in West sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), compared to 35% of Europeans and 5% of individuals from East Asia. The negative selection of IFNL4-dG outside Africa suggests that its retention in African populations could provide survival benefits, most likely in children. To explore this hypothesis, we conducted a comprehensive association analysis between IFNL4 genotypes and the risk of childhood Burkitt lymphoma (BL), a lethal infection-associated cancer most common in SSA. We used genetic, epidemiologic, and clinical data for 4,038 children from the Epidemiology of Burkitt Lymphoma in East African Children and Minors (EMBLEM) and the Malawi Infections and Childhood Cancer case-control studies. Generalized linear mixed models fit with the logit link controlling for age, sex, country, P. falciparum infection status, population stratification, and relatedness found no significant association between BL risk and 3 coding genetic variants within IFNL4 (rs368234815, rs117648444, and rs142981501) and their combinations. Because BL occurs in children 6-9 years of age who survived early childhood infections, our results suggest that additional studies should explore the associations of IFNL4-dG allele in younger children. This comprehensive study represents an important baseline in defining the health effects of IFN-λ4 in African populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francine S. Baker
- Laboratory of Translational Genomics, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Maryland, USA
| | - Jeanny Wang
- Laboratory of Translational Genomics, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Maryland, USA
| | - Oscar Florez-Vargas
- Laboratory of Translational Genomics, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Maryland, USA
| | - Nathan R. Brand
- Department of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Martin D. Ogwang
- EMBLEM Study, St. Mary's Hospital, Lacor, Uganda
- EMBLEM Study, African Field Epidemiology Network, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Patrick Kerchan
- EMBLEM Study, African Field Epidemiology Network, Kampala, Uganda
- EMBLEM Study, Kuluva Hospital, Arua, Uganda
| | - Steven J. Reynolds
- Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | | | - Pamela A. Were
- EMBLEM Study, Academic Model Providing Access To Healthcare (AMPATH), Eldoret, Kenya
| | - Robert T. Kuremu
- EMBLEM Study, Moi University College of Health Sciences, Eldoret, Kenya
| | - Walter N. Wekesa
- EMBLEM Study, Moi University College of Health Sciences, Eldoret, Kenya
| | | | - Esther Kawira
- EMBLEM Study, Shirati Health, Education, and Development Foundation, Shirati, Tanzania
| | - Tobias Kinyera
- EMBLEM Study, St. Mary's Hospital, Lacor, Uganda
- EMBLEM Study, African Field Epidemiology Network, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Isaac Otim
- EMBLEM Study, St. Mary's Hospital, Lacor, Uganda
- EMBLEM Study, African Field Epidemiology Network, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Ismail D. Legason
- EMBLEM Study, African Field Epidemiology Network, Kampala, Uganda
- EMBLEM Study, Kuluva Hospital, Arua, Uganda
| | - Hadijah Nabalende
- EMBLEM Study, St. Mary's Hospital, Lacor, Uganda
- EMBLEM Study, African Field Epidemiology Network, Kampala, Uganda
| | - George Chagaluka
- Department of Pediatrics and Surgery, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Nora Mutalima
- Epidemiology and Cancer Statistics Group, Department of Health Sciences, University of York, York, United Kingdom
- Cancer Epidemiology Unit, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Eric Borgstein
- Department of Pediatrics and Surgery, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - George N. Liomba
- Department of Pediatrics and Surgery, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Steve Kamiza
- Department of Pediatrics and Surgery, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Nyengo Mkandawire
- Department of Pediatrics and Surgery, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi
| | | | - Elizabeth M. Molyneux
- Department of Pediatrics and Surgery, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Robert Newton
- Epidemiology and Cancer Statistics Group, Department of Health Sciences, University of York, York, United Kingdom
| | | | - Sam M. Mbulaiteye
- Laboratory of Translational Genomics, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Maryland, USA
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De M, Bhushan A, Grubbe WS, Roy S, Mendoza JL, Chinnaswamy S. Distinct molecular phenotypes involving several human diseases are induced by IFN-λ3 and IFN-λ4 in monocyte-derived macrophages. Genes Immun 2022; 23:73-84. [PMID: 35115664 PMCID: PMC9042695 DOI: 10.1038/s41435-022-00164-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Revised: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Human Interferon (IFN) lambda 3 (IFN-λ3) and IFN-λ4 are closely linked at the IFNL locus and show association with several diseases in genetic studies. Since they are only ~30% identical to each other, to better understand their roles in disease phenotypes, comparative studies are needed. Monocytes are precursors to macrophages (monocyte-derived macrophages; MDMs) that get differentiated under the influence of various immune factors, including IFNs. In a recent study, we characterized lipopolysaccharide-activated M1 and M2-MDMs that were differentiated in presence of IFN-λ3 or IFN-λ4. In this study, we performed transcriptomics on these M1 and M2-MDMs to further understand their molecular phenotypes. We identified over 760 genes that were reciprocally regulated by IFN-λ3 and IFN-λ4, additionally we identified over 240 genes that are significantly affected by IFN-λ4 but not IFN-λ3. We observed that IFN-λ3 was more active in M2-MDMs while IFN-λ4 showed superior response in M1-MDMs. Providing a structural explanation for these functional differences, molecular modeling showed differences in expected interactions of IFN-λ3 and IFN-λ4 with the extracellular domain of IFN-λR1. Further, pathway analysis showed several human infectious diseases and even cancer-related pathways being significantly affected by IFN-λ3 and/or IFN-λ4 in both M1 and M2-MDMs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manjarika De
- National Institute of Biomedical Genomics, Kalyani, West Bengal, 741251, India
| | - Anand Bhushan
- National Institute of Biomedical Genomics, Kalyani, West Bengal, 741251, India
- Cleveland Clinic Cole Eye Institute & Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA
| | - William S Grubbe
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Subhajit Roy
- National Institute of Biomedical Genomics, Kalyani, West Bengal, 741251, India
| | - Juan L Mendoza
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
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IFN-λ4 is associated with increased risk and earlier occurrence of several common infections in African children. Genes Immun 2021; 22:44-55. [PMID: 33850301 PMCID: PMC8042471 DOI: 10.1038/s41435-021-00127-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2021] [Revised: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Genetic polymorphisms within the IFNL3/IFNL4 genomic region, which encodes type III interferons, have been strongly associated with clearance of hepatitis C virus. We hypothesized that type III interferons might be important for the immune response to other pathogens as well. In a cohort of 914 Malian children, we genotyped functional variants IFNL4-rs368234815, IFNL4-rs117648444, and IFNL3-rs4803217 and analyzed episodes of malaria, gastrointestinal, and respiratory infections recorded at 30,626 clinic visits from birth up to 5 years of age. Compared to children with the rs368234815-TT/TT genotype (IFN-λ4-Null), rs368234815-dG allele was most strongly associated with an earlier time-to-first episode of gastrointestinal infections (p = 0.003). The risk of experiencing an infection episode during the follow-up was also significantly increased with rs368234815-dG allele, with OR = 1.53, 95%CI (1.13-2.07), p = 0.005 for gastrointestinal infections and OR = 1.30, 95%CI (1.02-1.65), p = 0.033 for malaria. All the associations for the moderately linked rs4803217 (r2 = 0.78 in this set) were weaker and lost significance after adjusting for rs368234815. We also analyzed all outcomes in relation to IFN-λ4-P70S groups. Our results implicate IFN-λ4 and not IFN-λ3 as the primary functional cause of genetic associations with increased overall risk and younger age at first clinical episodes but not with recurrence or intensity of several common pediatric infections.
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