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Risk of trachomatous scarring and trichiasis in Gambians varies with SNP haplotypes at the interferon-gamma and interleukin-10 loci

Genes & Immunity volume 6, pages 332–340 (2005)Cite this article

Abstract

Experimental evidence implicates interferon gamma (IFNγ) in protection from and resolution of chlamydial infection. Conversely, interleukin 10 (IL10) is associated with susceptibility and persistence of infection and pathology. We studied genetic variation within the IL10 and IFNγ loci in relation to the risk of developing severe complications of human ocular Chlamydia trachomatis infection. A total of 651 Gambian subjects with scarring trachoma, of whom 307 also had potentially blinding trichiasis and pair-matched controls with normal eyelids, were screened for associations between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), SNP haplotypes and the risk of disease. MassEXTEND (Sequenom) and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry were used for detection and analysis of SNPs and the programs PHASE and SNPHAP used to infer haplotypes from population genetic data. Multivariate conditional logistic regression analysis identified IL10 and IFNγ SNP haplotypes associated with increased risk of both trachomatous scarring and trichiasis. SNPs in putative IFNγ and IL10 regulatory regions lay within the disease-associated haplotypes. The IFNγ +874A allele, previously linked to lower IFNγ production, lies in the IFNγ risk haplotype and was more common among cases than controls, but not significantly so. The promoter IL10-1082G allele, previously associated with high IL10 expression, is in both susceptibility and resistance haplotypes.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the study participants, field workers and laboratory staff at the Medical Research Council Laboratories in Gambia for their assistance. This work was supported by the Medical Research Council (UK).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London University, London, UK

    A Natividad, M J Holland, M J Burton, N D E Alexander, D C W Mabey & R L Bailey

  2. Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7BN, UK

    A Natividad, J Wilson, O Koch, K Rockett & D P Kwiatkowski

  3. Medical Research Council Laboratories, Fajara, The Gambia

    N Faal, H M Joof & R L Bailey

  4. The National Eye Care Program, Banjul, The Gambia

    O Jallow

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  1. A Natividad
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  2. J Wilson
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Natividad, A., Wilson, J., Koch, O. et al. Risk of trachomatous scarring and trichiasis in Gambians varies with SNP haplotypes at the interferon-gamma and interleukin-10 loci. Genes Immun 6, 332–340 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.gene.6364182

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