Abstract: SA-PO993
Polymorphism rs368234815 of Interferon-λ4 Gene and Development of Antibodies to Surface Antigen of Hepatitis B Virus in Hemodialysis Patients
Session Information
- Hemodialysis and Frequent Dialysis - V
November 09, 2019 | Location: Exhibit Hall, Walter E. Washington Convention Center
Abstract Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Category: Dialysis
- 701 Dialysis: Hemodialysis and Frequent Dialysis
Authors
- Grzegorzewska, Alicja E., Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland
- Swiderska, Monika K., Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland
- Mostowska, Adrianna, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland
- Jagodzinski, Pawel P., Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland
Background
The rs368234815 (TT/ΔG) polymorphism of interferon-λ4 gene (IFNL4) alone or in combination with other genes may be involved in hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface antigen (HBsAg) clearance in non-uremic subjects infected with HBV. We investigated whether IFNL4 rs368234815 is associated with the development of HBsAg antibodies (anti-HBs) in response to HBV vaccination or infection, and HBsAg loss after HBV infection in uremic patients treated with hemodialysis (HD).
Methods
To evaluate the association between anti-HBs and rs368234815, non-responders to HBV vaccination (n=122) were compared with responders (n=121), and HBsAg positive patients not able to develop anti-HBs (n=35) were compared with HBsAg negative subjects who generated anti-HBs (n=65) after HBV infection. All anti-HBs negative subjects (n=189) were also compared with all anti-HBs positive patients (n=190). To evaluate the association between HBsAg loss after HBV infection and rs368234815, all HBsAg positive patients (n=39) were compared with all subjects who eliminated HBsAg (n=97). Patients were genotyped for IFNL4 rs368234815 polymorphism by a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method.
Results
Rs368234815 genotypes were distributed in accordance with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The tested polymorphism was not associated with anti-HBs development either after HBV infection or HBV vaccination as well as with HBsAg loss (analyzes in models of inheritance and differences in variant allele frequencies yielded P>0.05). Adjustment for age at renal replacement therapy (RRT) onset, RRT duration, and positive antibodies to hepatitis C virus revealed that patients harboring the ΔG allele had 1.59-fold (0.98-2.56, P=0.057) higher risk for remaining anti-HBs negative after HBV vaccination or infection compared with the TT/TT subjects.
Conclusion
IFNL4 rs368234815 is not associated with anti-HBs development in HD patients. Therefore, this polymorphism alone cannot be useful as a predictor either of responsiveness to HBV vaccination or HBsAg seroclearance in HBV infection. However, due to the relatively small number of the examined patients and borderline associations, further studies exploring this subject are reasonable.