Putative pathogen-selected polymorphisms in the PKLR gene are associated with mycobacterial susceptibility in Brazilian and African populations

• Published in: PLoS neglected tropical diseases Vol. 15; no. 8; p. e0009434
• Main Authors: Bezerra, Ohanna Cavalcanti de Lima, Alvarado-Arnez, Lucia Elena, Mabunda, Nédio, Salomé, Graça, de Sousa, Amina, Kehdy, Fernanda de Souza Gomes, Sales-Marques, Carolinne, Manta, Fernanda Saloum de Neves, Andrade, Rafaela Mota, Ferreira, Laís Pereira, Leal-Calvo, Thyago, Cardoso, Cynthia Chester, Nunes, Kelly, Gouveia, Mateus H, Mbulaiteve, Sam M, Yeboah, Edward D, Hsing, Ann, Latini, Ana Carla Pereira, Leturiondo, André Luiz, Rodrigues, Fabíola da Costa, Noronha, Ariani Batista, Ferreira, Cynthia de Oliveira, Talhari, Carolina, Rêgo, Jamile Leão, Castellucci, Léa Cristina de Carvalho, Tarazona-Santos, Eduardo, Carvalho, Elizeu Fagundes de, Meyer, Diogo, Pinheiro, Roberta Olmo, Jani, Ilesh V, Pacheco, Antonio Guilherme, Moraes, Milton Ozório
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: San Francisco Public Library of Science 01-08-2021; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Anaemia; Anemia; Biology and Life Sciences; Enzymes; Erythrocytes; Ethics; Ferritin; Gene expression; Genetic aspects; Genetic susceptibility; Genomes; Glycolysis; Haplotypes; Haptoglobin; Hemolytic anemia; Human diseases; Infections; Ion channels (cyclic nucleotide-gated); Iron; Kinases; Leprosy; Malaria; Medical research; Medicine and Health Sciences; Medicine, Experimental; Mutation; Mycobacterial infections; Nerves; Nucleotides; Pathogens; People and places; Population; Populations; Positive selection; Principal components analysis; Pyruvate kinase; Pyruvic acid; Red blood cells; Risk factors; Serum; Single nucleotide polymorphisms; Single-nucleotide polymorphism; Susceptibility; Tropical diseases; Tuberculosis; Vector-borne diseases; Brazil; Mozambique; Rio de Janeiro Brazil; Africa
• ISSN: 1935-2735; 1935-2727; 1935-2735
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009434

Pyruvate kinase (PK), encoded by the PKLR gene, is a key player in glycolysis controlling the integrity of erythrocytes. Due to Plasmodium selection, mutations for PK deficiency, which leads to hemolytic anemia, are associated with resistance to malaria in sub-Saharan Africa and with susceptibility to intracellular pathogens in experimental models. In this case-control study, we enrolled 4,555 individuals and investigated whether PKLR single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) putatively selected for malaria resistance are associated with susceptibility to leprosy across Brazil (Manaus-North; Salvador-Northeast; Rondonópolis-Midwest and Rio de Janeiro-Southeast) and with tuberculosis in Mozambique. Haplotype T/G/G (rs1052176/rs4971072/rs11264359) was associated with leprosy susceptibility in Rio de Janeiro (OR = 2.46, p = 0.00001) and Salvador (OR = 1.57, p = 0.04), and with tuberculosis in Mozambique (OR = 1.52, p = 0.07). This haplotype downregulates PKLR expression in nerve and skin, accordingly to GTEx, and might subtly modulate ferritin and haptoglobin levels in serum. Furthermore, we observed genetic signatures of positive selection in the HCN3 gene (xpEHH>2 -recent selection) in Europe but not in Africa, involving 6 SNPs which are PKLR/HCN3 eQTLs. However, this evidence was not corroborated by the other tests (F.sub.ST, Tajima's D and iHS). Altogether, we provide evidence that a common PKLR locus in Africans contribute to mycobacterial susceptibility in African descent populations and also highlight, for first, PKLR as a susceptibility gene for leprosy and TB.