Genetic Variation in the MBL2 Gene Is Associated with Chlamydia trachomatis Infection and Host Humoral Response to Chlamydia trachomatis Infection

Stephan P Verweij; Remco P H Peters; Arnold Catsburg; Henry J C de Vries; Sander Ouburg; Servaas A Morré

doi:10.3390/ijms23169292

Genetic Variation in the MBL2 Gene Is Associated with Chlamydia trachomatis Infection and Host Humoral Response to Chlamydia trachomatis Infection

Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Aug 18;23(16):9292. doi: 10.3390/ijms23169292.

Authors

Stephan P Verweij¹, Remco P H Peters^{2

3}, Arnold Catsburg⁴, Henry J C de Vries^{5

6

7

8}, Sander Ouburg⁹, Servaas A Morré¹⁰

Affiliations

¹ Department of Respiratory Medicine, University Medical Centre Utrecht, 3584 CX Utrecht, The Netherlands.
² Research Unit, Foundation for Professional Development, East London 5200, South Africa.
³ Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria P.O. Box 14679, South Africa.
⁴ MolGen B.V., 3905 NL Veenendaal, The Netherlands.
⁵ Cluster of Infectious Diseases, Public Health Service Amsterdam, 1018 WT Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
⁶ Center for Infection and Immunity Amsterdam (CINIMA), Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
⁷ Department of Dermatology, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
⁸ Centre for Infectious Diseases Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu, RIVM), 3720 BA Bilthoven, The Netherlands.
⁹ Microbe & Lab B.V., 1105 AG Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
¹⁰ Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, Faculty of Health, Medicine & Life Sciences, Institute of Public Health Genomics, Research Institute GROW, University of Maastricht, 6216 LK Maastricht, The Netherlands.

Abstract

This study aims to assess the potential association of MBL2 gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to Chlamydia trachomatis infection. We analysed a selected sample of 492 DNA and serum specimens from Dutch Caucasian women. Women were categorized into four groups of infection status based on the results of DNA and antibody tests for C. trachomatis: Ct-DNA+/IgG+, Ct-DNA+/IgG−, Ct-DNA−/IgG+, and Ct-DNA−/IgG−. We compared six MBL2 SNPs (−619G > C (H/L), −290G > C (Y/X), −66C > T (P/Q), +154C > T (A/D), +161A > G (A/B), and +170A > G (A/C)) and their respective haplotypes in relation to these different subgroups. The −619C (L) allele was less present within the Ct-DNA−/IgG+ group compared with the Ct-DNA−/IgG− group (OR = 0.49; 95% CI: 0.28−0.83), while the +170G (C) allele was observed more in the Ct-DNA+/IgG+ group as compared with the Ct-DNA−/IgG− group (OR = 2.4; 95% CI: 1.1−5.4). The HYA/HYA haplotype was more often present in the Ct-DNA−/IgG− group compared with the Ct-DNA+/IgG+ group (OR = 0.37; 95% CI: 0.16−0.87). The +170G (C) allele was associated with increased IgG production (p = 0.048) in C. trachomatis PCR-positive women. This study shows associations for MBL in immune reactions to C. trachomatis. We showed clear associations between MBL2 genotypes, haplotypes, and individuals’ stages of C. trachomatis DNA and IgG positivity.

Keywords: Chlamydia trachomatis; IgG; MBL2 polymorphisms.

MeSH terms

Antibodies, Bacterial
Chlamydia Infections* / genetics
Chlamydia Infections* / immunology
Chlamydia trachomatis
Female
Haplotypes
Humans
Immunity, Humoral*
Immunoglobulin G
Mannose-Binding Lectin* / genetics
Netherlands
Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide

Substances

Antibodies, Bacterial
Immunoglobulin G
MBL2 protein, human
Mannose-Binding Lectin

Grants and funding

This work was partially funded by NGI Life Sciences Pre-Seed grant reg.nr. 93611006, a EuroTransBio grant, reference number 110012 ETB. The presented work matched the work performed by the EpiGenChlamydia Consortium (Coordination Action EU-FP6, contract no. LSHG-CT-2007-037637).