The potential influence of KIR cluster profiles on disease patterns of Canadian Aboriginals and other indigenous peoples of the Americas

• Published in: European journal of human genetics : EJHG Vol. 19; no. 12; pp. 1276 - 1280
• Main Authors: REMPEL, Julia D, HAWKINS, Kim, LANDE, Erin, NICKERSON, Peter
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basingstoke Nature Publishing Group 01-12-2011
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Arthritis; Autoimmune diseases; Biological and medical sciences; Canada - ethnology; Centromere - genetics; Chronic infection; Continental Population Groups - genetics; Cytokines; Diabetes; Disease; Disease resistance; Disease Resistance - genetics; Environmental factors; Ethnicity; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene Expression Profiling; Gene Frequency; General aspects. Genetic counseling; Genes; Genetic Predisposition to Disease; Genetics; Genetics of eukaryotes. Biological and molecular evolution; Genotypes; Haplotypes; Hepatitis; Hepatitis C; Hepatitis C virus; Hepatology; Humans; Immunoglobulin-like receptors; Immunoglobulins; Immunology; Immunomodulation; Infections; Male; Medical genetics; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Molecular and cellular biology; Native North Americans; Phenotypes; Population; Receptors, KIR - genetics; Selection, Genetic - immunology; Telomere - genetics; White people; Young Adult; Canada; North America; America; Americas; Manitoba Canada; Disease; ethnicity; Aboriginal; Cluster; Genetics; KIR telomeric; Immunity; KIR centromeric; pro-inflammatory immunity; Ethnic group; Profile
• ISSN: 1018-4813; 1476-5438
• DOI: 10.1038/ejhg.2011.114

Genetic differences in immune regulators influence disease resistance and susceptibility patterns. There are major health discrepancies in immune-mediated diseases between Caucasians and Canadian Aboriginal people, as well as with other indigenous people of the Americas. Environmental factors offer a limited explanation as Aboriginal people also demonstrate a rare resistance to chronic hepatitis C virus infection. Killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) are known modulators of viral responses and autoimmune diseases. The possibility that variation in KIR cluster profiles contribute to the health outcomes of Aboriginal people was evaluated with Canadian Caucasian (n=93, population controls) and Aboriginal (n=86) individuals. Relative to Caucasians, the Aboriginal KIR cluster displayed a greater immune activating phenotype associated with genes of the B haplotype situated within the telomeric region. In conjunction, there was a decrease in the genes of the B haplotype from the centromeric region. Caucasian and Aboriginal cohorts further demonstrated distinct genotype and haplotype relationships enforcing the disconnect between the B haplotype centromeric and telomeric regions within the Aboriginal population. Moreover, Caucasian KIR cluster patterns reflected studies of Caucasians globally, as well as Asians. In contrast, the unique pattern of the Canadian Aboriginal cohort mirrored the phenotype of other indigenous peoples of the Americas, but not that of Caucasians or Asians. Taken together, these data suggest that historically indigenous peoples of the Americas were subject to immune selection processes that could be influencing the current disease resistance and susceptibility patterns of their descendents.