Soluble human leukocyte antigen -G during pregnancy and infancy in Benin: Mother/child resemblance and association with the risk of malaria infection and low birth weight.
Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) G is a tolerogenic molecule involved in the maternal-fetal immune tolerance phenomenon. Its expression during some infectious diseases leading to immune evasion has been established. A first study conducted in Benin has shown that the production of soluble HLA-G (sHLA-G) during the first months of life is strongly correlated with the maternal level at delivery and associated with low birth weight and malaria. However sHLA-G measurements during pregnancy were not available for mothers and furthermore, to date the evolution of sHLA-G in pregnancy is not documented in African populations. To extend these previous findings, between January 2010 and June 2013, 400 pregnant women of a malaria preventive trial and their newborns were followed up in Benin until the age of 2 years. Soluble HLA-G was measured 3 times during pregnancy and repeatedly during the 2 years follow-up to explore how sHLA-G evolved and the factors associated. During pregnancy, plasma levels of sHLA-G remained stable and increased significantly at delivery (p<0.001). Multigravid women seemed to have the highest levels (p = 0.039). In infants, the level was highest in cord blood and decreased before stabilizing after 18 months (p<0.001). For children, a high level of sHLA-G was associated with malaria infection during the follow-up (p = 0.02) and low birth weight (p = 0.06). The mean level of sHLA-G during infancy was strongly correlated with the mother's level during pregnancy (<0.001), and not only at delivery. Moreover, mothers with placental malaria infection had a higher probability of giving birth to a child with a high level of sHLA-g (p = 0.006). High sHLA-G levels during pregnancy might be associated with immune tolerance related to placental malaria. Further studies are needed but this study provides a first insight concerning the potential role of sHLA-G as a biomarker of weakness for newborns and infants.
Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France.|UMR 216-MERIT, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Faculté de Pharmacie - Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris-Cité, Paris, France.
Tania C
TC
d'Almeida
UMR 216-MERIT, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Faculté de Pharmacie - Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris-Cité, Paris, France.|Centre d'Etude et de Recherche sur le Paludisme Associé à la Grossesse et à l'Enfance, Faculté des Sciences de la Santé, Cotonou, Bénin.|Université d'Abomey-Calavi, Cotonou, Bénin.|Division of Clinical Immunology, School of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Brazil.
Ibrahim
I
Sadissou
UMR 216-MERIT, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Faculté de Pharmacie - Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris-Cité, Paris, France.|Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France.
Jacqueline
J
Milet
UMR 216-MERIT, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Faculté de Pharmacie - Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris-Cité, Paris, France.|Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France.
Gilles
G
Cottrell
UMR 216-MERIT, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Campus de la Faculté des Sciences de la Santé (FSS) et de l'Institut des Sciences Biomédicales Appliquées (ISBA), Cotonou, Bénin.
Amandine
A
Mondière
Ecole Pasteur - CNAM de santé publique, Paris, France.
Euripide
E
Avokpaho
UMR 216-MERIT, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Faculté de Pharmacie - Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris-Cité, Paris, France.
Laure
L
Gineau
UMR 216-MERIT, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Faculté de Pharmacie - Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris-Cité, Paris, France.
Audrey
A
Sabbagh
Centre d'Etude et de Recherche sur le Paludisme Associé à la Grossesse et à l'Enfance, Faculté des Sciences de la Santé, Cotonou, Bénin.|Université d'Abomey-Calavi, Cotonou, Bénin.
Achille
A
Massougbodji
Université d'Abomey-Calavi, Cotonou, Bénin.
Kabirou
K
Moutairou
Division of Clinical Immunology, School of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Brazil.
Eduardo A
EA
Donadi
CEA, Institut des Maladies Emergentes et des Thérapies Innovantes (IMETI), Service de Recherches en Hémato-Immunologie (SRHI), Hôpital Saint-Louis, IUH, Paris, France.|Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, IUH, Hôpital Saint-Louis, UMR_E5, IUH, Paris, France.
Benoit
B
Favier
CEA, Institut des Maladies Emergentes et des Thérapies Innovantes (IMETI), Service de Recherches en Hémato-Immunologie (SRHI), Hôpital Saint-Louis, IUH, Paris, France.|Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, IUH, Hôpital Saint-Louis, UMR_E5, IUH, Paris, France.
Edgardo
E
Carosella
CEA, Institut des Maladies Emergentes et des Thérapies Innovantes (IMETI), Service de Recherches en Hémato-Immunologie (SRHI), Hôpital Saint-Louis, IUH, Paris, France.|Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, IUH, Hôpital Saint-Louis, UMR_E5, IUH, Paris, France.
Philippe
P
Moreau
CEA, Institut des Maladies Emergentes et des Thérapies Innovantes (IMETI), Service de Recherches en Hémato-Immunologie (SRHI), Hôpital Saint-Louis, IUH, Paris, France.|Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, IUH, Hôpital Saint-Louis, UMR_E5, IUH, Paris, France.
Nathalie
N
Rouas-Freiss
UMR 216-MERIT, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Faculté de Pharmacie - Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris-Cité, Paris, France.|Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France.
David
D
Courtin
Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France.|UMR 216-MERIT, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Faculté de Pharmacie - Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris-Cité, Paris, France.|Centre d'Etude et de Recherche sur le Paludisme Associé à la Grossesse et à l'Enfance, Faculté des Sciences de la Santé, Cotonou, Bénin.
André
A
Garcia
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001541:Benin / Q000453:epidemiology; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D005260:Female; D059951:HLA-G Antigens / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008288:Malaria / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D055815:Young Adult
D059951:HLA-G Antigens