The gene-immune-behavioral pathway: Gamma-interferon (IFN-γ) simultaneously coordinates susceptibility to infectious disease and harm avoidance behaviors.
Cytokine gene variants are known to influence both infectious disease susceptibility and harm-avoidant behaviors, suggesting that these risk variants may be pleiotropically linked to instinctual disease-avoidant traits. The gamma-interferon (IFNG) +874 T>A polymorphism (rs2430561) is an ideal candidate gene variant for immune-behavioral studies. It is a functional SNP, regulating IFNG mRNA expression; it is known to modulate serotonergic activity and is therefore capable of modifying behavior; and it has previously been associated with increased susceptibility to malaria, tuberculosis, leprosy and Chagas disease. We hypothesized that the infectious disease-high-risk IFNG +874 A-allele would be associated with four personality traits previously reported as behavioral defenses against infection: Harm Avoidance (HA), Extraversion (E), Exploratory Excitability (Exp E), and Openness to Experience (O). We tested this hypothesis in a sample of 168 healthy university students from Southern California genotyped for IFNG +874 T>A and evaluated by the Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised (TCI-R) and the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI). We found that the infectious disease-high-risk IFNG +874 A-allele was associated with increased HA (P=0.001) and decreased E (P=0.030) and Exp E (P=0.030). These findings suggest that the IFNG +874 A gene variant is linked both to infectious disease susceptibility and to proactive behavioral defenses that reduce infection risk in healthy subjects.
Carlsbad Science Foundation, Monrovia, CA, USA.
James
J
MacMurray
City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA.
David E
DE
Comings
Innovation Pole for Genomics, Genetics and Biology, Perugia, Italy. Electronic address: napvale@gmail.com.
Valerio
V
Napolioni
D000328:Adult; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D002605:Character; D005260:Female; D056726:Genetic Association Studies; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D007239:Infections / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000523:psychology; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010551:Personality / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D010555:Personality Inventory; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D013694:Temperament; D055815:Young Adult
C573415:IFNG protein, human; D007371:Interferon-gamma
Behavior; Brain; Gamma-interferon; Genetics; Harm Avoidance; Immunity; Infectious disease; Personality trait; Polymorphism; Serotonin