由于年龄，性别和遗传因素导致的免疫反应差异

StephenW

Differences in immune responses due to age, sex, and genetics

Date:
    August 6, 2018
Source:
    Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Summary:
    Age, sex, and specific human genetic variants are the key factors behind differences between immune responses among healthy humans, finds a study of 1,000 individuals.
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FULL STORY

Over the course of our life, we are continuously exposed to pathogens such as viruses and bacteria, meaning that our immune system is constantly at work. When stimulated by either pathogen or vaccine, the immune system notably mounts what is known as a "humoral response," which corresponds to the production of antibodies that can help fight infections and provide long-term protection.

The intensity of humoral responses differs from person to person. Understanding why, and identifying the specific determinants of this variability could help us improve vaccines, predict a person's susceptibility to a particular pathogen, or get a deeper understanding of autoimmune diseases.

In a new study published in Genome Medicine, the lab of Jacques Fellay at EPFL, working with the Pasteur Institute in Paris, have examined the humoral responses of 1,000 healthy people to common infections and vaccines. The scientists measured antibody responses to fifteen antigens (molecules that trigger humoral responses) from twelve infectious agents: cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, herpes simplex virus 1 and 2, varicella zoster virus, influenza A virus, measles, mumps, rubella, and hepatitis B virus, Helicobacter pylori and Toxoplasma gondii.

In order to assess the importance of non-genetic factors, the researchers looked at the impact of numerous demographic variables. They identified age and sex as the most important determinants of humoral response, with older individuals and women showing stronger antibody responses against most antigens.

For the genetic factors, the scientists performed genome-wide association studies, which allow the exploration of the potential impact of genetic variation throughout the human genome. The studies showed that differences in response to Epstein-Barr virus and rubella associate with variation in the human leucocyte antigen (HLA) gene region, which encodes proteins involved in the recognition of foreign antigens.

"To combat infectious and autoimmune diseases, we need to better understand variation in the healthy immune response," says Jacques Fellay. "Our study is a necessary first step toward individualized healthcare in infection and immunity."

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Materials provided by Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

    Petar Scepanovic, Cécile Alanio, Christian Hammer, Flavia Hodel, Jacob Bergstedt, Etienne Patin, Christian W. Thorball, Nimisha Chaturvedi, Bruno Charbit, Laurent Abel, Lluis Quintana-Murci, Darragh Duffy, Matthew L. Albert, Jacques Fellay. Human genetic variants and age are the strongest predictors of humoral immune responses to common pathogens and vaccines. Genome Medicine, 2018; 10 (1) DOI: 10.1186/s13073-018-0568-8

StephenW

由于年龄，性别和遗传因素导致的免疫反应差异

日期：
    2018年8月6日
资源：
    EcolePolytechniqueFédéraledeLausanne
概要：
    一项针对1000名个体的研究发现，年龄，性别和特定的人类遗传变异是健康人群免疫反应差异的关键因素。
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完整的故事

在我们的生命中，我们不断暴露于病毒和细菌等病原体，这意味着我们的免疫系统一直在发挥作用。当被病原体或疫苗刺激时，免疫系统显着地产生所谓的“体液反应”，其对应于可以帮助对抗感染并提供长期保护的抗体的产生。

体液反应的强度因人而异。了解原因，并确定这种变异的具体决定因素可以帮助我们改进疫苗，预测一个人对特定病原体的易感性，或者更深入地了解自身免疫性疾病。

在基因组医学杂志上发表的一项新研究中，EPFL的Jacques Fellay实验室与巴黎的巴斯德研究所合作，研究了1000名健康人对常见感染和疫苗的体液反应。科学家测量了十二种感染因子对十五种抗原（引发体液反应的分子）的抗体反应：巨细胞病毒，爱泼斯坦 - 巴尔病毒，单纯疱疹病毒1和2，水痘带状疱疹病毒，甲型流感病毒，麻疹，腮腺炎，风疹和肝炎B病毒，幽门螺杆菌和弓形虫。

为了评估非遗传因素的重要性，研究人员研究了众多人口统计学变量的影响。他们将年龄和性别确定为体液反应的最重要决定因素，老年人和女性对大多数抗原表现出更强的抗体反应。

对于遗传因素，科学家们进行了全基因组关联研究，这些研究允许探索整个人类基因组中遗传变异的潜在影响。研究表明，对Epstein-Barr病毒和风疹的反应差异与人类白细胞抗原（HLA）基因区域的变异相关，该区域编码参与识别外来抗原的蛋白质。

“为了对抗传染病和自身免疫性疾病，我们需要更好地了解健康免疫反应的变异，”Jacques Fellay说。 “我们的研究是迈向感染和免疫的个性化医疗保健的必要的第一步。”

故事来源：

材料由EcolePolytechniqueFédéraledeLausanne提供。注意：可以针对样式和长度编辑内容。

期刊参考：

    Petar Scepanovic，CécileAlanio，Christian Hammer，Flavia Hodel，Jacob Bergstedt，Etienne Patin，Christian W. Thorball，Nimisha Chaturvedi，Bruno Charbit，Laurent Abel，Lluis Quintana-Murci，Darragh Duffy，Matthew L. Albert，Jacques Fellay。人类遗传变异和年龄是对常见病原体和疫苗的体液免疫应答的最强预测因子。基因组医学，2018年; 10（1）DOI：10.1186 / s13073-018-0568-8