BTNL2 associated with the immune response to hepatitis B vaccination in a Chinese Han population

No response to hepatitis B vaccination is a complex phenomenon, which is induced by the combinations of environmental and genetic factors. The aim of the study was to investigate the association between the polymorphisms of the butyrophilin-like 2 (BTNL2) gene and the immune response to hepatitis B vaccination in a Chinese Han population. A total of 7 single nucleotide polymorphisms in the BTNL2 gene were analyzed in 566 non-responders and 1,040 high-responders to hepatitis B vaccination. The alleles T, T, C, A, G of rs3763316, rs3763311, rs9268494, rs3806156, and rs2076530 were associated with no response to hepatitis B vaccination (P = 0.015, odds ratio (OR) = 1.20; P = 0.029, OR = 1.18; P = 2.00E-07, OR = 1.58; P = 0.002, OR = 1.27; P = 2.90E-06, OR = 1.41, respectively). Whereas, the alleles T, C of rs9268501 and rs3763313 played significantly protective roles in the immune response to hepatitis B vaccination (P = 0.007, OR = 0.81; P = 0.004, OR = 0.74). Besides, the risks of no response to hepatitis B vaccination were increased significantly among individuals harbored the haplotypes of G-T-A-T-C-A-G (P = 0.038, OR = 1.48), G-T-A-T-C (P < 0.0001, OR = 2.34), A-A (P < 0.0001, OR = 4.08), and C-G (P < 0.0001, OR = 4.75). However, the haplotype of G-C-A-T-C (P = 1.00E-04, OR = 0.54) exhibited a protective role in the immune response to hepatitis B vaccination in the study. These findings suggest that polymorphisms in the BTNL2 gene might play a vital role in determining the outcome of the immune response to hepatitis B vaccination.