Role of HLA-G 14 bp Indel polymorphism on susceptibility to HTLV-1 infection in blood donors of Khorasan Razavi Blood Center

The HLA-G antigen is a non-classical HLA class-I with limited polymorphism. Several studies have indicated the role of a 14 bp Indel polymorphism rs371194629 in the 3'-UTR region of the HLA-G in acquisition of HTLV-1 infection. In this study, we investigated the correlation between the genotypes of this polymorphism and HTLV-1 infection in blood donors of Khorasan Razavi province.

In this analytical study, a total of 131 healthy individuals and 131 HTLV-1 positive patients were analyzed. After DNA extraction, the genotypes of the polymorphism were determined by PCR-SSP method. Statistical analysis was performed with chi-squared test using SPSS version 23 software.

The DI was the most frequent genotype in both groups (49.6% of controls and 40.3% of patients). The DD genotype was associated with increased risk of HTLV-1 infection (OR=1.89, 95% CI=1.14-3.11, p=0.03). There was no significant difference between the frequency of D and I alleles in both groups.

 Our findings confirm previous results about the significance of HLA-G polymorphisms in susceptibility to infectious diseases including HTLV-1. Further investigations could reveal the underlying mechanisms.