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We investigated the interplay between genetics and oral peanut protein exposure in the determination of the immunological response to peanut using the targeted intervention in the LEAP clinical trial. We identified an association between peanut-specific IgG4 and HLA-DQA1*01:02 that was only observed in the presence of sustained oral peanut protein exposure. The association between IgG4 and HLA-DQA1*01:02 was driven by IgG4 specific for the Ara h 2 component. Once peanut consumption ceased, the association between IgG4-specific Ara h 2 and HLA-DQA1*01:02 was attenuated. The association was validated by observing expanded IgG4-specific epitopes in people who carried HLA-DQA1*01:02. Notably, we confirmed the previously reported associations with HLA-DQA1*01:02 and peanut allergy risk in the absence of oral peanut protein exposure. Interaction between HLA and presence or absence of exposure to peanut in an allergen- and epitope-specific manner implicates a mechanism of antigen recognition that is fundamental to driving immune responses related to allergy risk or protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: APOBEC3B, a gene involved in innate response, exhibits insertion–deletion polymorphism across world populations. We observed the insertion allele to be nearly fixed in malaria endemic regions of sub-Saharan Africa as well as populations with high malaria incidence in the past. This prompted us to investigate the possible association of the polymorphism with falciparum malaria. We studied the distribution of APOBEC3B, in 25 diverse Indian populations comprising of 500 samples and 176 severe or non-severe Plasmodium falciparum patients and 174 ethnically-matched uninfected individuals from a P. falciparum endemic and a non-endemic region of India. The deletion frequencies ranged from 0% to 43% in the Indian populations. The frequency of the insertion allele strikingly correlated with the endemicity map of P. falciparum malaria in India. A strong association of the deletion allele with susceptibility to falciparum malaria in the endemic region (non-severe vs. control, Odds ratio=4.96, P value=9.5E−06; severe vs. control, OR=4.36, P value=5.76E−05) was observed. Although the frequency of deletion allele was higher in the non-endemic region, there was a significant association of the homozygous deletion genotype with malaria (OR=3.17, 95% CI=1.10–10.32, P value=0.0177). Our study also presents a case for malaria as a positive selection force for the APOBEC3B insertion and suggests a major role for this gene in innate immunity against malaria. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Recent studies in Kenya and Ghana have shown that individuals who inherit two malaria-protective genetic disorders of haemoglobin-α+ thalassaemia and sickle cell trait-experience a much lower level of malaria protection than those who inherit sickle cell trait alone. We have previously demonstrated that this can limit the frequency of α+ thalassaemia in a population in which sickle cell is present, which may account for the frequency of α+ thalassaemia in sub-Saharan Africa not exceeding 50%. Here we consider the relationship between α+ thalassaemia and sickle cell in South Asian populations, and show that very high levels of α+ thalassaemia combined with varying levels of malaria selection can explain why sickle cell has penetrated certain South Asian populations but not others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Omega-6 (n-6) and omega-3 (n-3) long (≥ 20 carbon) chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) play a critical role in human health and disease. Biosynthesis of LC-PUFAs from dietary 18 carbon PUFAs in tissues such as the liver is highly associated with genetic variation within the fatty acid desaturase (FADS) gene cluster, containing FADS1 and FADS2 that encode the rate-limiting desaturation enzymes in the LC-PUFA biosynthesis pathway. However, the molecular mechanisms by which FADS genetic variants affect LC-PUFA biosynthesis, and in which tissues, are unclear. The current study examined associations between common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the FADS gene cluster and FADS1 and FADS2 gene expression in 44 different human tissues (sample sizes ranging 70–361) from the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) Project. FADS1 and FADS2 expression were detected in all 44 tissues. Significant cis-eQTLs (within 1 megabase of each gene, False Discovery Rate, FDR<0.05, as defined by GTEx) were identified in 12 tissues for FADS1 gene expression and 23 tissues for FADS2 gene expression. Six tissues had significant (FDR< 0.05) eQTLs associated with both FADS1 and FADS2 (including artery, esophagus, heart, muscle, nerve, and thyroid). Interestingly, the identified eQTLs were consistently found to be associated in opposite directions for FADS1 and FADS2 expression. Taken together, findings from this study suggest common SNPs within the FADS gene cluster impact the transcription of FADS1 and FADS2 in numerous tissues and raise important questions about how the inverse expression of these two genes impact intermediate molecular (such a LC-PUFA and LC-PUFA-containing glycerolipid levels) and ultimately clinical phenotypes associated with inflammatory diseases and brain health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]