Risk allelic load in Th2 and Th3 cytokines genes as biomarker of susceptibility to HPV-16 positive cervical cancer: a case control study

Background

Alterations in the host cellular immune response allow persistent infections with High-Risk Human Papillomavirus (HR-HPV) and development of premalignant cervical lesions and cervical cancer (CC). Variations of immunosuppressive cytokine levels in cervix are associated with the natural history of CC. To assess the potential role of genetic host immunity and cytokines serum levels in the risk of developing CC, we conducted a case–control study paired by age.

Methods

Peripheral blood samples from patients with CC (n = 200) and hospital controls (n = 200), were used to evaluate nine biallelic SNPs of six cytokine genes of the adaptive immune system by allelic discrimination and cytokines serum levels by ELISA.

Results

After analyzing the SNP association by multivariate logistic regression adjusted by age, CC history and smoking history, three Th2 cytokines (IL-4, IL-6 and IL-10) and one Th3 (TGFB1) cytokine were significantly associated with CC. Individuals with at least one copy of the following risk alleles: T of SNP (−590C > T IL-4), C of SNP (−573G > C IL-6), A of SNP (−592C > A IL-10), T of SNP (−819C > T IL-10) and T of SNP (−509C > T TGFB1), had an adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 2.08 (95 % CI 1.475–2.934, p = 0.0001), an OR of 1.70 (95 % CI 1.208–2.404, p = 0.002), an OR of 1.87 (95 % CI 1.332–2.630, p = 0.0001), an OR of 1.67 (95 % CI 1.192–2.353, p = 0.003) and an OR of 1.91 (95 % CI 1.354–2.701, p = 0.0001), respectively, for CC. The burden of carrying two or more of these risk alleles was found to have an additive effect on the risk of CC (p trend = 0.0001). Finally, the serum levels of Th2 and Th3 cytokines were higher in CC cases than the controls; whereas IFNG levels, a Th1 cytokine, were higher in controls than CC cases.

Conclusion

The significant associations of five SNPs with CC indicate that these polymorphisms are potential candidates for predicting the risk of development of CC, representing a risk allelic load for CC and can be used as a biomarker of susceptibility to this disease.

GST-pi expression in BCR-ABL+ and BCR-ABL- cells from CML patients

Our laboratory has been involved in the study of glutathione-sulfhydryl-transferase-pi (GST-pi) for several years. We have recently observed that during haematopoiesis in BMSC liquid cultures from CML patients who were candidates for transplant GST-pi was expressed in presumably malignant cells during different stages of cellular maturation. To confirm this finding, in the present work we are detecting GST-pi expression by immunofluorescence in BCR-ABL+ and BCR-ABL- cells done by FISH of PB from 30 CML patients during different clinical status: treatment (T), hematological relapse (R), blastic crisis (BC) or post-allotrasplant (PT). As well as in PB from 30 Blood-Bank donors. The results were %BCR-ABL+ GST-pi+ cells: T = 1-67, R = 33-69, BC = 90-100 and PT = 1-2; %BCR-ABL- GST-pi+ cells: T = 2-31, R = 5-18, BC = 0-10 and PT = 2-5; %BCR-ABL- GST-pi- cells: T = 2-97, R = 13-62, BC = 0 and PT = 93-96; %BCR-ABL+ GST-pi- cells: T = 0, R = 0, BC = 0 and PT = 0. GST-pi was not expressed in donor cells. The results obtained confirm our previous observations and suggest that GST-pi expression might be used for the evaluation of the minimal residual disease in CML patients.