IgG1 Fc N-glycan galactosylation as a biomarker for immune activation.
Immunoglobulin G (IgG) Fc N-glycosylation affects antibody-mediated effector functions and varies with inflammation rooted in both communicable and non-communicable diseases. Worldwide, communicable and non-communicable diseases tend to segregate geographically. Therefore, we studied whether IgG Fc N-glycosylation varies in populations with different environmental exposures in different parts of the world. IgG Fc N-glycosylation was analysed in serum/plasma of 700 school-age children from different communities of Gabon, Ghana, Ecuador, the Netherlands and Germany. IgG1 galactosylation levels were generally higher in more affluent countries and in more urban communities. High IgG1 galactosylation levels correlated with low total IgE levels, low C-reactive protein levels and low prevalence of parasitic infections. Linear mixed modelling showed that only positivity for parasitic infections was a significant predictor of reduced IgG1 galactosylation levels. That IgG1 galactosylation is a predictor of immune activation is supported by the observation that asthmatic children seemed to have reduced IgG1 galactosylation levels as well. This indicates that IgG1 galactosylation levels could be used as a biomarker for immune activation of populations, providing a valuable tool for studies examining the epidemiological transition from communicable to non-communicable diseases.
Leiden Immunoparasitology Group, Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.
Sanne E
SE
de Jong
Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.
Maurice H J
MH
Selman
Leiden Immunoparasitology Group, Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.|Center of Medical Research Lambaréné (CERMEL), Lambaréné, Gabon.|Institute for Tropical Medicine, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
Ayola A
AA
Adegnika
Leiden Immunoparasitology Group, Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.|Department of Parasitology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana.
Abena S
AS
Amoah
Leiden Immunoparasitology Group, Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.
Elly
E
van Riet
Leiden Immunoparasitology Group, Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.
Yvonne C M
YC
Kruize
Department of Immunology and Infection, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom.
John G
JG
Raynes
Instituto de Microbiologia, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador.
Alejandro
A
Rodriguez
Department of Parasitology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana.
Daniel
D
Boakye
Dr von Hauner Children's Hospital, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany.|Comprehensive Pneumology Center Munich (CPC-M), Member of German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Munich, Germany.
Erika
E
von Mutius
Department of Dermatology/Allergology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
André C
AC
Knulst
Institute of Epidemiology and Medical Biometry, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany.
Jon
J
Genuneit
Instituto de Microbiologia, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador.|Institute of Infection and Immunity, St George's University of London, London, United Kingdom.
Philip J
PJ
Cooper
Leiden Parasite Glycobiology Group, Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.
Cornelis H
CH
Hokke
Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.
Manfred
M
Wuhrer
Leiden Immunoparasitology Group, Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.
Maria
M
Yazdanbakhsh
D000293:Adolescent; D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000737:chemistry; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D004484:Ecuador; D005260:Female; D005681:Gabon; D005858:Germany; D005869:Ghana; D006031:Glycosylation; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology; D007249:Inflammation / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D009426:Netherlands; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000737:chemistry*; D011961:Receptors, Fc / Q000737:chemistry*; D012547:Schistosoma / Q000276:immunology*; D012552:Schistosomiasis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology
D015415:Biomarkers; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D011134:Polysaccharides; D011961:Receptors, Fc; D007073:Immunoglobulin E; D002097:C-Reactive Protein