Association of DRB1 and DQB1 HLA Class II Polymorphisms in High-Grade and Neoplastic Cervical Lesions of Women From Argentina

Identification of human leukocyte antigen in precancerous and cancerous cervical lesions from Ecuadorian women

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common type of cancer in women. Worldwide, it is a public health problem with around 604,127 women diagnosed per year and 341,831 deaths. Cervical cancer and persistent high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infection are highly associated. However, other factors are also involved, such as viral load, HPV variants, sexual behavior, and genetic factors. The host immune response against HPV has been widely studied and it has shown associations with development of cervical cancer. The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes are related to the persistence of HPV infection and progression to cervical cancer because of their role in controlling T-cell mediated immune response to clear the infection. In Ecuador, there is scarce information about HLA and HPV infection with high-risk genotypes in the population. This study aimed to identify host-specific HLA alleles in women with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) II and III, and cancer infected with HPV-16, 58, and 52. In this study, we included 51 samples previously identified as positive for HPV-16, 58, and 52 from 12 Ecuadorian provinces. As a result, we found that HLA-A*02, HLA-B*35, HLA-C*04, HLA-DRB1*04, and HLA-DQB1*03 alleles were the most frequent, these alleles have been associated with cervical cancer in previous studies; nevertheless, we did not find a statistically significant association between HLA alleles, HPV genotype, and histopathological lesion. This is a baseline study to uncover possible relationships between HLA and HPV to elucidate why this virus can develop a persistent infection in some women leading to the development of cervical cancer.

HLA-DQB1*03 and DRB1*07 alleles increase the risk of cervical cancer among Uighur and Han women in Xinjiang, China

AIM

To explore the association between the determinant factors including HLA-DQB1*03, DRB1-*07, -*13 and high-risk HPV infection, the cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) pathogenesis among Chinese Uighur and Han population.

MATERIALS & METHODS

HLA alleles were genotyped by PCR sequence-specific primers.

RESULTS

HPV16 infection rate was significantly higher among the Uighurs and Hans with CSCC as compared with healthy controls, respectively. HLA-DQB1*03 significantly increased among Uighurs with CSCC, while HLA-DRB1*07 significantly increased among Hans with CSCC. Similar tendencies were observed for DQB1*03 with HPV16-positive Uighurs CSCC and DRB1*07 with HPV16-positive Hans CSCC.

CONCLUSION

This study suggests that HLA-DQB1*03 and DRB1*07 alleles may influence the immune response to HPV16 infection and increase the risk of CSCC among the Uighurs and Hans in China.

Human Leukocyte Antigen Class I and II Alleles and Cervical Adenocarcinoma

BACKGROUND

Associations between human leukocyte antigens (HLA) alleles and cervical cancer are largely representative of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), the major histologic subtype. We evaluated the association between HLA class I (A, B, and C) and class II (DRB1 and DQB1) loci and risk of cervical adenocarcinoma (ADC), a less common but aggressive histologic subtype.

METHODS

We pooled data from the Eastern and Western US Cervical Cancer studies, and evaluated the association between individual alleles and allele combinations and ADC (n = 630 ADC; n = 775 controls). Risk estimates were calculated for 11 a priori (based on known associations with cervical cancer regardless of histologic type) and 38 non a priori common alleles, as odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI), adjusted for age and study. In exploratory analysis, we compared the risk associations between subgroups with HPV16 or HPV18 DNA in ADC tumor tissues in the Western US study cases and controls.

RESULTS

Three of the a priori alleles were significantly associated with decreased risk of ADC [DRB1*13:01 (OR = 0.61; 95% CI: 0.41-0.93), DRB1*13:02 (OR = 0.49; 95% CI: 0.31-0.77), and DQB1*06:03 (OR = 0.64; 95% CI: 0.42-0.95)]; one was associated with increased risk [B*07:02 (OR = 1.39; 95% CI: 1.07-1.79)]. Among alleles not previously reported, DQB1*06:04 (OR = 0.46; 95% CI: 0.27-0.78) was associated with decreased risk of ADC and remained significant after correction for multiple comparisons, and C*07:02 (OR = 1.41; 95% CI: 1.09-1.81) was associated with increased risk. We did not observe a difference by histologic subtype. ADC was most strongly associated with increased risk with B*07:02/C*07:02 alleles (OR = 1.33; 95% CI: 1.01-1.76) and decreased risk with DRB1*13:02/DQB1*06:04 (OR = 0.41; 95% CI: 0.21-0.80).

CONCLUSION

RESULTS suggest that HLA allele associations with cervical ADC are similar to those for cervical SCC. An intriguing finding was the difference in risk associated with several alleles restricted to HPV16 or HPV18-related tumors, consistent with the hypothesis that HLA recognition is HPV type-specific.

The association of the immune response genes to human papillomavirus-related cervical disease in a Brazilian population

The genetic variability of the host contributes to the risk of human papillomavirus (HPV)-related cervical disease. Immune response genes to HPV must be investigated to define patients with the highest risk of developing malignant disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of polymorphic immune response genes, namely KIR, HLA class I and II, and single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of cytokines with HPV-related cervical disease. We selected 79 non-related, admixed Brazilian women from the state of Paraná, southern region of Brazil, who were infected with high carcinogenic risk HPV and present cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3 (CIN3), and 150 HPV-negative women from the same region matched for ethnicity. KIR genes were genotyped using an in-house PCR-SSP. HLA alleles were typed using a reverse sequence-specific oligonucleotide technique. SNPs of TNF −308G>A, IL6 −174G>C, IFNG +874T>A, TGFB1 +869T>C +915G>C, and IL10 −592C>A −819C>T −1082G>A were evaluated using PCR-SSP. The KIR genes were not associated with HPV, although some pairs of i(inhibitory)KIR-ligands occurred more frequently in patients, supporting a role for NK in detrimental chronic inflammatory and carcinogenesis. Some HLA haplotypes were associated with HPV. The associations of INFG and IL10 SNPs potentially reflect impaired or invalid responses in advanced lesions.

HLA-G polymorphisms in women with squamous intraepithelial lesions harboring human papillomavirus

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is etiologically associated with low- (LSIL) and high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL) and with cervical cancer. The progression or regression of the lesions may depend, among other factors, on the host heritable immune response. Because human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-G molecules are involved in the modulation of innate and adaptive immune responses, and because no previous studies have evaluated HLA-G polymorphism in patients with SIL, we conducted a study to assess the association between HLA-G polymorphisms and cervical lesions harboring HPV infection. Cervico-vaginal scrapings and blood samples were collected from 125 women with SIL (68 LSIL and 57 HSIL) and from 94 healthy women without HPV infection and cytological abnormalities. HPV type and HLA-G polymorphisms in exons 2, 3 and 8 (14 bp insertion/deletion) were evaluated by PCR methodology, and digested with restriction endonucleases. The Genepop software and the EM and PHASE algorithms were used for statistical analysis. A significant protective association was observed between the presence of the G(*)0103 allele and SIL and between the G0101/G0104 genotype and HSIL in the group of patients compared to control. The presence of the G0104/+14 bp and G0104/-14 bp haplotypes conferred susceptibility to SIL compared to control. In addition, patients possessing the G0104/+14 bp haplotype and harboring HPV-16 and -18 co-infections were particularly associated with HSIL. These findings suggest that HLA-G polymorphisms may be associated with HPV infection and SIL, consequently representing a profile of predisposition to cervical cancer.