Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Background
Killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) are a group of regulatory molecules able to activate or inhibit natural killer cells upon interaction with human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I molecules. Combinations of KIR and HLA may contribute to the occurrence of different immunological and clinical responses to infectious diseases. Leprosy is a chronic neglected disease, both disabling and disfiguring, caused mainly by Mycobacterium leprae. In this case-control study, we examined the influence of KIRs and HLA ligands on the development of multibacillary leprosy.Methodology/principal findings
Genotyping of KIR and HLA genes was performed in 264 multibacillary leprosy patients and 518 healthy unrelated controls (238 healthy household contacts and 280 healthy subjects). These are unprecedented results in which KIR2DL2/KIR2DL2/C1/C2 and KIR2DL3/2DL3/C1/C1 indicated a risk for developing lepromatous and borderline leprosy, respectively. Concerning to 3DL2/A3/A11+, our study demonstrated that independent of control group (contacts or healthy subjects), this KIR receptor and its ligand act as a risk factor for the borderline clinical form.Conclusions/significance
Our finding suggests that synergetic associations of activating and inhibitory KIR genes may alter the balance between these receptors and thus interfere in the progression of multibacillary leprosy.
SUBMITTER: Alves HV
PROVIDER: S-EPMC6762192 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Sep
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Alves Hugo Vicentin HV de Moraes Amarilis Giaretta AG Pepineli Afonso Carrasco AC Tiyo Bruna Tiaki BT de Lima Neto Quirino Alves QA Santos Thais da Silva TDS Teixeira Jorge Juarez Vieira JJV Ambrosio-Albuquerque Eliane P EP Sell Ana Maria AM Visentainer Jeane Eliete Laguila JEL
PLoS neglected tropical diseases 20190916 9
<h4>Background</h4>Killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) are a group of regulatory molecules able to activate or inhibit natural killer cells upon interaction with human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I molecules. Combinations of KIR and HLA may contribute to the occurrence of different immunological and clinical responses to infectious diseases. Leprosy is a chronic neglected disease, both disabling and disfiguring, caused mainly by Mycobacterium leprae. In this case-control study, we ...[more]