Chemokine and chemokine receptor gene polymorphism in Tunisian hemodialysis patients with HCV infection

• Published in: Arab journal of nephrology and transplantation Vol. 4; no. 3; pp. 117 - 124
• Main Authors: Ksiaa Cheikh Rouhou, Leila, Gorgi, Yousr Lakhoua, Skhiri, Hajer Aounallah, Aouadi, Houda, Ayed, Salwa Jendoubi, Sfar, Imen, Ayed, Khaled, Ben Abdallah, Taieb
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sudan 01-09-2011
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Alleles; Chemokine CCL2 - genetics; Confidence Intervals; Female; Genotype; Hepacivirus; Hepatitis C, Chronic - blood; Hepatitis C, Chronic - genetics; Humans; Logistic Models; Male; Middle Aged; Odds Ratio; Polymorphism, Genetic; Receptors, CCR2 - genetics; Receptors, CCR5 - genetics; Renal Dialysis; Retrospective Studies; RNA, Viral - blood; Tunisia; Tunisia
• ISSN: 1858-554X; 1858-554X
• DOI: 10.4314/ajnt.v4i3.71023

Our aim was to investigate the possibility of a significant relationship between chemokines and chemokine receptor genes polymorphisms and the spontaneous clearance or the persistence of HCV infection.
A total of 96 hemodialysis (HD) patients infected with HCV were classified into two groups: G1 included 73 patients with persistently positive HCV-RNA and G2 included 23 HD patients who have spontaneously eliminated the virus. The control group consisted of 170 healthy blood donors. All subjects were genotyped for CCR5 ?32, CCR5 (-59029) A/G, CCR2 (64Ile) and MCP-1(-2518) A/G gene polymorphisms.
Our results showed a statistically significant increased frequencies of the CCR2 (64Ile) and the (-59029) CCR5 A alleles in patients infected with HCV (22.1% and 35.9%) compared to G1 (24.3% and 40.6%) and compared to controls (14.4% and 20%). We also observed a lower frequency of the MCP-1 G allele and a greater frequency of the CCR5?32 variant in G2 (15.2% and 6.5%) compared to G1 (22.6% and 1.4%) that was not statistically significant. However, adjustment for known covariates (age, gender and HCV genotypes) didn't confirm the results of univariate analysis.
In conclusion, our study suggests a possible role for some of the studied chemokines polymorphisms in the spontaneous clearance or persistence of HCV infection in Tunisian population. These results should be further investigated by a prospective cohort studies and large population-based studies.