Decreased human leukocyte antigen A02:01 frequency is associated with risk of glioma and existence of human cytomegalovirus: a case–control study in Northern China

• Published in: Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy Vol. 66; no. 10; pp. 1265 - 1273
• Main Authors: Han, Sheng, Deng, Jian, Wang, Zixun, Liu, Huan, Cheng, Wen, Wu, Anhua
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.10.2017; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Alleles; Antigens; Brain; Brain injury; Brain Neoplasms - genetics; Brain Neoplasms - immunology; Brain tumors; Cancer Research; Case-Control Studies; China; Cytomegalovirus; Cytomegalovirus - immunology; Cytomegalovirus Infections - immunology; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; Female; Gender; Gene frequency; Geography; Glioma; Glioma - genetics; Glioma - immunology; Histocompatibility antigen HLA; HLA-A Antigens - immunology; Humans; IE1 protein; Immunohistochemistry; Immunology; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Minority & ethnic groups; Oncology; Original; Original Article; Peripheral blood; Polymerase chain reaction; Polymerase Chain Reaction - methods; Population studies; Pp65 protein; Prognosis; Proteins; Risk; Sex ratio; Tissue typing; Tissues; Tumorigenesis; Young Adult; Immunology; Glioma; HLA; HCMV; Immunotherapy
• ISSN: 0340-7004; 1432-0851
• DOI: 10.1007/s00262-017-2018-7

Background Human leukocyte antigens (HLAs) play an important role in host defense against viral infection and tumorigenesis. Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) has been linked to glioma development. This study investigated the relationship between HLA distribution, presence of HCMV, and glioma development in a Han Chinese population. Methods The study population included 150 glioma patients and 150 tumor-free brain injury control subjects (control-A) matched according to geography, ethnicity, age, and gender. HLA allele frequency was compared between the two groups using peripheral blood samples by PCR sequence-based typing. These data were also compared with HLA frequencies obtained from a Northern Chinese Han population database (control-B). HCMV DNA was detected in the peripheral blood of glioma patients and control group-A by nested PCR. The expression of HCMV proteins IE1-72 and pp65 in tumor tissues was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Results The frequency of HLA-A*02:01 was decreased in glioma patients as compared to control group-A and -B ( P  < 0.001 and P  = 0.001, respectively). The age/sex-adjusted odds ratio for HLA-A*02:01 positivity vs. negativity was 0.392 (95% confidence interval 0.225–0.683). HCMV was more frequently detected in the peripheral blood and tumor tissue of HLA-A*02:01-negative glioma patients. HLA-A*02:01 and HCMV were not associated with overall survival. Conclusion There is a correlation between decreased HLA-A*0201 allele frequency and glioma susceptibility.