The influence of human leukocyte antigen-DRB1*15:01 and its interaction with smoking in MS development is dependent on DQA1*01:01 status

• Background: HLA-DRB1*15:01, absence of HLA-A*02:01, and smoking interact to increase multiple sclerosis (MS) risk.Objective: To analyze whether MS-associated human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles, apart from DRB1*15:01 and absence of A*02:01, interact with smoking in MS development, and to explore whether the established HLA-smoking interaction is affected by the DQA1*01:01 allele, which confers a protective effect only in the presence of DRB1*15:01.Methods: In two Swedish population-based case-control studies (5838 cases, 5412 controls), subjects with different genotypes and smoking habits were compared regarding MS risk, by calculating odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals employing logistic regression. Interaction on the additive scale between different genotypes and smoking was evaluated.Results: The DRB1*08:01 allele interacted with smoking to increase MS risk. The interaction between DRB1*15:01 and both the absence of A*02:01 and smoking was confined to DQA1*01:01 negative subjects, whereas no interactions occurred among DQA1*01:01 positive subjects.Conclusion: Multifaceted interactions take place between different class II alleles and smoking in MS development. The influence of DRB1*15:01 and its interaction with the absence of A*02:01 and smoking is dependent on DQA1*01:01 status which may be due to differences in the responding T-cell repertoires.

Subject headings

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Neurologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Neurology (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Multiple sclerosis

HLA

smoking

gene-gene interaction

gene-environment interaction

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)