Interferon lambda 3 rs12979860 polymorphism in patients with haemophilia and HCV infection: a predictor of spontaneous viral clearance and sustained virological response

Assessment of the Interferon-Lambda-3 Polymorphism in the Antibody Response to COVID-19 in Older Adults Seropositive for CMV

BACKGROUND

Here, we investigated the impact of IFN-lambda-3 polymorphism on specific IgG responses for COVID-19 in older adults seropositive for CMV.

METHODS

Blood samples of 25 older adults of both sexes were obtained at three different times: during a micro-outbreak (MO) of SARS-CoV-2 in 2020; eight months after (CURE); and 30 days after the administration of the second dose of ChadOx-1 vaccine (VAC). The specific IgG for both SARS-CoV-2 and CMV antigens, neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, and also the polymorphism profile for IFN-lambda-3 (rs12979860 C > T) were assessed.

RESULTS

Higher levels of specific IgG for SARS-CoV-2 antigens were found in the MO and VAC than in the CURE time-point. Volunteers with specific neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 showed better specific IgG responses for SARS-CoV-2 and lower specific IgG levels for CMV than volunteers without specific neutralizing antibodies. Significant negative correlations between the specific IgG levels for SARS-CoV-2 and CMV were found at the MO time-point, as well as in the group of individuals homozygous for allele 1 (C/C) in the MO time-point and heterozygotes (C/T) in the CURE time-point.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggested that both CMV seropositivity and the homozygosis for allele 1 (C/C) in IFN-lambda-3 gene can negatively impact the antibody response to COVID-19 infection and vaccination in older adults.

Possible relationship between IL28B rs12979860 and TLR2 -196 to -174 del/ins polymorphisms and the liver fibrosis stage in hepatitis C patients

It has been shown that host factors play an important role in the progression of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) del and interleukin 28B (IL28B) T alleles can mediate liver inflammation and pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma. In the present study, the possible relationship between the IL28B rs12979860 C/T and TLR2 -196 to -174 del/ins gene variants and different fibrosis stages and host factors in hepatitis C patients was investigated. IL28B and TLR2 polymorphisms in the blood of 50 hepatitis C patients at different stages of fibrosis (24 mild/moderate, 26 advanced) and 24 healthy controls were examined by RT-qPCR. The highest frequency of the TLR2 del (26.9%) and IL28B T (46.2%) alleles was found in hepatitis C patients with the most advanced fibrosis, and the lowest frequency was found in healthy controls. There was a statistically significant difference between hepatitis C patients with advanced fibrosis and healthy controls in terms of the TLR2 del (p = 0.0062) and IL28B T (p = 0.0017) allele frequencies. However, no statistically significant difference was found between the mild/moderate fibrosis and severe fibrosis patient groups in terms of genotype or IL28B and TLR2 polymorphisms (p > 0.05). In addition, there was a significant difference between patients with mild/moderate or advanced fibrosis who carried the TLR2 del allele together with the IL28B CT genotype and healthy controls. The present study emphasizes that the TLR2 and IL28B gene variants cannot be single biomarkers for the determination of fibrosis stage in hepatitis C infection but together can play an important role in predicting severe disease.

Impact of IFNL4 rs12979860 and rs8099917 polymorphisms on response to Peg-Interferon-α and Ribavirin in patients with congenital bleeding disorder and chronic hepatitis C

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to determine whether two polymorphisms of the human interferon lambda 4 (IFNL4) gene (rs12979860 and rs8099917) can predict sustained virologic response (SVR) following antiviral therapy in patients with inherited bleeding disorder and chronic hepatitis C (CHC).

METHODS

This retrospective study was conducted on 294 patients with congenital bleeding disorder and CHC who were treated with Peg-Interferon-α (PegIFN) and Ribavirin (RBV). Baseline patient and viral parameters were measured and analyzed statistically to assess their combined and individual contributions to SVR prediction.

RESULTS

The most prevalent variants of rs12979860 and rs8099917 identified among the study patients were CT (45.9%) and TT (57.6%), respectively. Overall, SVR was achieved in 69% of the study patients. The rate of SVR was lower in patients with HCV genotype-1 than in those with HCV genotype-3 (62% vs 88%; P<.001; OR=0.23). Multivariate analysis of SVR predictors in patients with HCV genotype-1 infection included age (<24 years), BMI (<25), absence of cirrhosis, HCV RNA level (<400 000 IU/mL), rs8099917 TT and rs12979860 CC, all of which were associated with a higher SVR rate. In HCV genotype-3 infection, only rs12979860 CC was significantly associated with SVR.

CONCLUSION

These results demonstrate that polymorphisms of the IFNL4 gene are highly associated with SVR to PegIFN and RBV combination therapy in patients with a congenital bleeding disorder and CHC. Assessment of rs12979860 and rs8099917 genotypes can guide physicians in choosing an optimal treatment regimen, including less expensive therapies that may only be available in many geographic locales.

The interferon lambda 4 rs368234815 predicts treatment response to pegylated-interferon alpha and ribavirin in hemophilic patients with chronic hepatitis C

Background:

A dinucleotide variant rs368234815 in interferon lambda 4 (IFNL4) gene was recently found to be associated with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment response. This study aimed to assess the impact of IFNL4 rs368234815 polymorphism on treatment response to pegylated-IFN alpha (Peg-IFN-α) and ribavirin (RBV) in hemophilic patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC).

Materials and Methods:

In this retrospective study, 92 hemophilic patients with CHC who were treated with Peg-IFN-α/RBV were investigated. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in IFNL genomic region including rs368234815, rs12979860, and rs8099917 were analyzed by DNA sequencing.

Results:

Of the 92 patients, 63 (68.5%) achieved sustained virological response (SVR). Of the 43 patients with rs368234815 TT/TT genotype, 36 (83.7%) achieved SVR, while in 49 patients with non-TT/TT genotypes, 27 (55.1%) achieved SVR. Other pretreatment parameters predicted SVR were patients’ body mass index, HCV genotype, rs12979860, and rs8099917 SNPs. In multivariate analysis, all above-mentioned parameters except rs8099917 remained as predictors of SVR. IFNL4 rs368234815 was a strong predictor of SVR; however, the prediction power of this SNP was the same as that of rs12979860 SNP in the patients of the current study.

Conclusion:

IFNL4 rs368234815 SNP can be considered for decision-making in the treatment of HCV-infected patients.

HCV-related liver and lymphoproliferative diseases: association with polymorphisms of IL28B and TLR2

To explore the relationship between innate immunity and hepatitis C Virus (HCV) in determining the risk of cirrhosis (CIR), hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), mixed cryoglobulinemia syndrome (MCS) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), we investigated the impact of the toll-like receptor-2 (TLR2) and interleukin-28B (IL28B) genetic variants. TLR2 -174 del variant was associated with TLR2 expression and with specific downstream molecules that drive the expression of different interleukins; rs12979860 Il28B was important in response to interferon-treatment and in spontaneous clearance of HCV. The risk for liver and lymphoproliferative diseases in HCV progression was clarified by stratifying 862 HCV-positive patients into groups based on liver (CIR, HCC) and lymphoproliferative HCV-related diseases (MCS, NHL) and compared with chronic HCV (CHC) infection. Analysis of TLR2-IL28B haplotypes showed an association of wild type haplotype with the lymphoproliferative diseases (OR 1.77, p = 0.029) and a slight increase in HCV viral load (HR 1.38, p = 0.054). Wild type haplotype (TLR2 ins/ins- IL28B C/C) was also found associated with older age in patients with an hepatic diseases (in CIR and in HCC p = 0.038 and p = 0.020, respectively) supporting an effect of innate immunity in the liver disease progression. TLR2 and IL28B polymorphisms in combination showed a role in the control of HCV viral load and different HCV disease progression.