Association of human leukocyte antigen DQB1 and DRB1 alleles with chronic hepatitis B

Area of Science:

• Immunogenetics
• Hepatology
• Virology

Background:

• Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is a significant global health concern.
• Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class II genes are crucial in immune responses to viral infections.
• The role of specific HLA alleles in CHB pathogenesis, particularly in disease progression to cirrhosis, requires further elucidation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between HLA DRB1 and DQB1 alleles and the progression of chronic hepatitis B.
• To determine if specific HLA alleles correlate with inactive versus advanced disease stages, including cirrhosis.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective study of 355 Turkish patients with chronic hepatitis B was conducted.
• Demographic, clinical, laboratory, and virological data were collected.
• HLA DRB1 and DQB1 genotyping was performed using polymerase chain reaction with sequence-specific primers.

Main Results:

• The most frequent HLA DQB1 allele was DQB1*03:01, and the most frequent HLA DRB1 allele was DRB1*13/14.
• HLA DQB1*05:01 was significantly more prevalent in patients with active CHB compared to those with inactive disease (27% vs 9.1%, P=0.002).
• HLA DRB1*07 was less frequent in patients with cirrhosis than in non-cirrhotics (3.4% vs 16%, P=0.002) and was a negative predictor of cirrhosis in multivariate analysis (P=0.015).

Conclusions:

• Specific HLA alleles, including DQB1*05:01 and DRB1*07, are associated with disease activity and cirrhosis development in Turkish patients with chronic hepatitis B.
• These findings suggest that HLA genotype may play a role in predicting CHB progression.
• Further research into the molecular mechanisms, such as altered T-cell recognition due to DRB1*07 polymorphisms, is warranted.