title: HLA-B alleles B*15:01 and B*15:02: opposite association with hepatitis C virus infection in Chinese voluntary blood donors.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although human leukocyte antigens (HLA) have been shown in association with the outcomes of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among different ethnic groups, such studies remain absent in China, where the HCV prevalence is higher than the global average.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, 426 HCV-infected and 709 uninfected blood donors were analyzed, among whom the HLA alleles were sequenced using a high-resolution genotyping method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At the 2-digit level, none of the alleles showed a statistical difference between the HCV-infected and uninfected groups. However, at the 4-digit level, the HLA-B alleles B*15:01 and B*15:02 showed an opposite association with HCV infection, i.e. B*15:01 was significantly higher in the HCV-infected group (odds ratio, OR = 1.561, p = 0.010), while B*15:02 was significantly higher in the uninfected group (OR = 0.778, p = 0.016). We also identified a higher frequency of B*13:02 in the HCV-infected group (OR = 1.515, p = 0.009) and a higher frequency of B*07:05 in the uninfected group (OR = 0.299, p = 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The frequencies of four HLA alleles, B*07:05, B*13:02, B*15:01, and B*15:02, were found to be significantly different between the HCV-infected and uninfected blood donors in China, revealing an inverse relation of B*15:01 and B*15:02 with HCV infection. This finding suggests that the ethnic genetic variations of HLA may greatly affect the host immune responses against HCV.
authors: Guangzhou Blood Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
authors: Huaping
authors: H
authors: Xiong
authors: Jieting
authors: J
authors: Huang
authors: Xia
authors: X
authors: Rong
authors: Ming
authors: M
authors: Zhang
authors: Ke
authors: K
authors: Huang
authors: Ru
authors: R
authors: Xu
authors: Min
authors: M
authors: Wang
authors: Chengyao
authors: C
authors: Li
authors: Qiao
authors: Q
authors: Liao
authors: Wenjie
authors: W
authors: Xia
authors: Guangping
authors: G
authors: Luo
authors: Xin
authors: X
authors: Ye
authors: Ling
authors: L
authors: Lu
authors: Yongshui
authors: Y
authors: Fu
authors: Tai
authors: T
authors: Guo
authors: Kenrad
authors: K
authors: Nelson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000483:Alleles; D044466:Asian People / Q000235:genetics; D001782:Blood Donors; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005805:Genes, MHC Class I; D005838:Genotype; D059910:HLA-B15 Antigen / Q000235:genetics*; D006239:Haplotypes; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D059910:HLA-B15 Antigen