title: Gene Association with Leprosy: A Review of Published Data.
abstract: Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by an obligate intracellular bacterium known as Mycobacterium leprae. Exposure to the bacillus is necessary, but this alone does not mean an individual will develop clinical symptoms of the disease. In recent years, several genes have been associated with leprosy and the innate immune response pathways converge on the main hypothesis that genes are involved in the susceptibility for the disease in two distinct steps: for leprosy per se and in the development of the different clinical forms. These genes participate in the sensing, main metabolic pathway of immune response activation and, subsequently, on the evolution of the disease into its clinical forms. The aim of this review is to highlight the role of innate immune response in the context of leprosy, stressing their participation in the signaling and targeting processes in response to bacillus infection and on the evolution to the clinical forms of the disease.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Immunology Institute, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; Immunogenetics Laboratory, Department of Basic Health Sciences, Maringá State University, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil.
authors.forename: Priscila Saamara
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Mazini
authors.affiliation: Immunogenetics Laboratory, Department of Basic Health Sciences, Maringá State University , Maringá, Paraná , Brazil.
authors.forename: Hugo Vicentin
authors.initials: HV
authors.lastname: Alves
authors.affiliation: Immunogenetics Laboratory, Department of Basic Health Sciences, Maringá State University , Maringá, Paraná , Brazil.
authors.forename: Pâmela Guimarães
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Reis
authors.affiliation: Immunogenetics Laboratory, Department of Basic Health Sciences, Maringá State University , Maringá, Paraná , Brazil.
authors.forename: Ana Paula
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Lopes
authors.affiliation: Immunogenetics Laboratory, Department of Basic Health Sciences, Maringá State University , Maringá, Paraná , Brazil.
authors.forename: Ana Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Sell
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Immunology Institute, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; Immunology and Oncology Laboratory, Center for Neurosciences and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Santos-Rosa
authors.affiliation: Immunogenetics Laboratory, Department of Basic Health Sciences, Maringá State University , Maringá, Paraná , Brazil.
authors.forename: Jeane Eliete Laguila
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Visentainer
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Immunology Institute, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; Immunology and Oncology Laboratory, Center for Neurosciences and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
authors.forename: Paulo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rodrigues-Santos
keywords: Mycobacterium leprae; immune response genes; innate immunity; leprosy