HLA targeting efficiency correlates with human T-cell response magnitude and with mortality from influenza A infection.

ABSTRACT: Experimental and computational evidence suggests that HLAs preferentially bind conserved regions of viral proteins, a concept we term "targeting efficiency," and that this preference may provide improved clearance of infection in several viral systems. To test this hypothesis, T-cell responses to A/H1N1 (2009) were measured from peripheral blood mononuclear cells obtained from a household cohort study performed during the 2009-2010 influenza season. We found that HLA targeting efficiency scores significantly correlated with IFN-γ enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot responses (P = 0.042, multiple regression). A further population-based analysis found that the carriage frequencies of the alleles with the lowest targeting efficiencies, A*24, were associated with pH1N1 mortality (r = 0.37, P = 0.

SUBMITTER: Hertz T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3746844 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature