Effect of Immunosuppression on T-Helper 2 and B-Cell Responses to Influenza Vaccination

Background. Influenza vaccine immunogenicity is suboptimal in immunocompromised patients. However, there are limited data on the interplay of T- and B- cell responses to vaccination with simultaneous immunosuppression. Methods. We collected peripheral blood mononuclear cells from transplant recipients before and 1 month after seasonal influenza vaccination. Before and after vaccination, H1N1-specific T- and B-cell activation were quantified with flow cytometry. We also developed a mathematical model using T- and B-cell markers and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) dosage. Results. In the 47 patients analyzed, seroconversion to H1N1 antigen was demonstrated in 34%. H1N1-specific interleukin 4 (IL-4)-producing CD4+ T-cell frequencies increased significantly after vaccination in 53% of patients. Prevaccine expression of H1N1-induced HLA-DR and CD86 on B cells was high in patients who seroconverted. Seroconversion against H1N1 was strongly associated with HLA-DR expression on B cells, which was dependent on the increase between prevaccine and postvaccine H1N1-specific IL-4+CD4+ T cells (R2 = 0.35). High doses of MMF (≥2 g/d) led to lower seroconversion rates, smaller increase in H1N1-specific IL-4+CD4+ T cells, and reduced HLA-DR expression on B cells. The mathematical model incorporating a MMF-inhibited positive feedback loop between H1N1-specific IL-4+CD4+ T cells and HLA-DR expression on B cells captured seroconversion with high specificity. Conclusions. Seroconversion is associated with influenza-specific T-helper 2 and B-cell activation and seems to be modulated by MM

CYP24A1 variant modifies the association between use of oestrogen plus progestogen therapy and colorectal cancer risk

BACKGROUND: Menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) use has been consistently associated with a decreased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) in women. Our aim was to use a genome-wide gene-environment interaction analysis to identify genetic modifiers of CRC risk associated with use of MHT. METHODS: We included 10 835 postmenopausal women (5419 cases and 5416 controls) from 10 studies. We evaluated use of any MHT, oestrogen-only (E-only) and combined oestrogen-progestogen (E+P) hormone preparations. To test for multiplicative interactions, we applied the empirical Bayes (EB) test as well as the Wald test in conventional case-control logistic regression as primary tests. The Cocktail test was used as secondary test. RESULTS: The EB test identified a significant interaction between rs964293 at 20q13.2/CYP24A1 and E+P (interaction OR (95% CIs)=0.61 (0.52-0.72), P=4.8 × 10(-9)). The secondary analysis also identified this interaction (Cocktail test OR=0.64 (0.52-0.78), P=1.2 × 10(-5) (alpha threshold=3.1 × 10(-4)). The ORs for association between E+P and CRC risk by rs964293 genotype were as follows: C/C, 0.96 (0.61-1.50); A/C, 0.61 (0.39-0.95) and A/A, 0.40 (0.22-0.73), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that rs964293 modifies the association between E+P and CRC risk. The variant is located near CYP24A1, which encodes an enzyme involved in vitamin D metabolism. This novel finding offers additional insight into downstream pathways of CRC etiopathogenesis

Genome-Wide Diet-Gene Interaction Analyses for Risk of Colorectal Cancer

Dietary factors, including meat, fruits, vegetables and fiber, are associated with colorectal cancer; however, there is limited information as to whether these dietary factors interact with genetic variants to modify risk of colorectal cancer. We tested interactions between these dietary factors and approximately 2.7 million genetic variants for colorectal cancer risk among 9,287 cases and 9,117 controls from ten studies. We used logistic regression to investigate multiplicative gene-diet interactions, as well as our recently developed Cocktail method that involves a screening step based on marginal associations and gene-diet correlations and a testing step for multiplicative interactions, while correcting for multiple testing using weighted hypothesis testing. Per quartile increment in the intake of red and processed meat were associated with statistically significant increased risks of colorectal cancer and vegetable, fruit and fiber intake with lower risks. From the case-control analysis, we detected a significant interaction between rs4143094 (10p14/near GATA3) and processed meat consumption (OR = 1.17; p = 8.7E-09), which was consistently observed across studies (p heterogeneity = 0.78). The risk of colorectal cancer associated with processed meat was increased among individuals with the rs4143094-TG and -TT genotypes (OR = 1.20 and OR = 1.39, respectively) and null among those with the GG genotype (OR = 1.03). Our results identify a novel gene-diet interaction with processed meat for colorectal cancer, highlighting that diet may modify the effect of genetic variants on disease risk, which may have important implications for prevention. © 2014

Effect of immunosuppression on T-helper 2 and B-cell responses to influenza vaccination

BACKGROUND: Influenza vaccine immunogenicity is suboptimal in immunocompromised patients. However, there are limited data on the interplay of T- and B- cell responses to vaccination with simultaneous immunosuppression. METHODS: We collected peripheral blood mononuclear cells from transplant recipients before and 1 month after seasonal influenza vaccination. Before and after vaccination, H1N1-specific T- and B-cell activation were quantified with flow cytometry. We also developed a mathematical model using T- and B-cell markers and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) dosage. RESULTS: In the 47 patients analyzed, seroconversion to H1N1 antigen was demonstrated in 34%. H1N1-specific interleukin 4 (IL-4)-producing CD4(+) T-cell frequencies increased significantly after vaccination in 53% of patients. Prevaccine expression of H1N1-induced HLA-DR and CD86 on B cells was high in patients who seroconverted. Seroconversion against H1N1 was strongly associated with HLA-DR expression on B cells, which was dependent on the increase between prevaccine and postvaccine H1N1-specific IL-4(+)CD4(+) T cells (R(2) = 0.35). High doses of MMF (≥ 2 g/d) led to lower seroconversion rates, smaller increase in H1N1-specific IL-4(+)CD4(+) T cells, and reduced HLA-DR expression on B cells. The mathematical model incorporating a MMF-inhibited positive feedback loop between H1N1-specific IL-4(+)CD4(+) T cells and HLA-DR expression on B cells captured seroconversion with high specificity. CONCLUSIONS: Seroconversion is associated with influenza-specific T-helper 2 and B-cell activation and seems to be modulated by MMF

Characterization of gene-environment interactions for colorectal cancer susceptibility loci.

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified more than a dozen loci associated with colorectal cancer (CRC) risk. Here, we examined potential effect-modification between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) at 10 of these loci and probable or established environmental risk factors for CRC in 7,016 CRC cases and 9,723 controls from nine cohort and case-control studies. We used meta-analysis of an efficient empirical-Bayes estimator to detect potential multiplicative interactions between each of the SNPs [rs16892766 at 8q23.3 (EIF3H/UTP23), rs6983267 at 8q24 (MYC), rs10795668 at 10p14 (FLJ3802842), rs3802842 at 11q23 (LOC120376), rs4444235 at 14q22.2 (BMP4), rs4779584 at 15q13 (GREM1), rs9929218 at 16q22.1 (CDH1), rs4939827 at 18q21 (SMAD7), rs10411210 at 19q13.1 (RHPN2), and rs961253 at 20p12.3 (BMP2)] and select major CRC risk factors (sex, body mass index, height, smoking status, aspirin/nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use, alcohol use, and dietary intake of calcium, folate, red meat, processed meat, vegetables, fruit, and fiber). The strongest statistical evidence for a gene-environment interaction across studies was for vegetable consumption and rs16892766, located on chromosome 8q23.3, near the EIF3H and UTP23 genes (nominal P(interaction) = 1.3 × 10(-4); adjusted P = 0.02). The magnitude of the main effect of the SNP increased with increasing levels of vegetable consumption. No other interactions were statistically significant after adjusting for multiple comparisons. Overall, the association of most CRC susceptibility loci identified in initial GWAS seems to be invariant to the other risk factors considered; however, our results suggest potential modification of the rs16892766 effect by vegetable consumption

Characterization of gene-environment interactions for colorectal cancer susceptibility loci.

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified more than a dozen loci associated with colorectal cancer (CRC) risk. Here, we examined potential effect-modification between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) at 10 of these loci and probable or established environmental risk factors for CRC in 7,016 CRC cases and 9,723 controls from nine cohort and case-control studies. We used meta-analysis of an efficient empirical-Bayes estimator to detect potential multiplicative interactions between each of the SNPs [rs16892766 at 8q23.3 (EIF3H/UTP23), rs6983267 at 8q24 (MYC), rs10795668 at 10p14 (FLJ3802842), rs3802842 at 11q23 (LOC120376), rs4444235 at 14q22.2 (BMP4), rs4779584 at 15q13 (GREM1), rs9929218 at 16q22.1 (CDH1), rs4939827 at 18q21 (SMAD7), rs10411210 at 19q13.1 (RHPN2), and rs961253 at 20p12.3 (BMP2)] and select major CRC risk factors (sex, body mass index, height, smoking status, aspirin/nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use, alcohol use, and dietary intake of calcium, folate, red meat, processed meat, vegetables, fruit, and fiber). The strongest statistical evidence for a gene-environment interaction across studies was for vegetable consumption and rs16892766, located on chromosome 8q23.3, near the EIF3H and UTP23 genes (nominal P(interaction) = 1.3 × 10(-4); adjusted P = 0.02). The magnitude of the main effect of the SNP increased with increasing levels of vegetable consumption. No other interactions were statistically significant after adjusting for multiple comparisons. Overall, the association of most CRC susceptibility loci identified in initial GWAS seems to be invariant to the other risk factors considered; however, our results suggest potential modification of the rs16892766 effect by vegetable consumption

Characterization of Gene–Environment Interactions for Colorectal Cancer Susceptibility Loci

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified over a dozen loci associated with colorectal cancer (CRC) risk. Here we examined potential effect-modification between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at 10 of these loci and probable or established environmental risk factors for CRC in 7,016 CRC cases and 9,723 controls from nine cohort and case-control studies. We used meta-analysis of an efficient empirical-Bayes estimator to detect potential multiplicative interactions between each of the SNPs [rs16892766 at 8q23.3 (EIF3H/UTP23); rs6983267 at 8q24 (MYC); rs10795668 at 10p14 (FLJ3802842); rs3802842 at11q23 (LOC120376); rs4444235 at 14q22.2 (BMP4); rs4779584 at15q13 (GREM1); rs9929218 at16q22.1 (CDH1); rs4939827 at18q21 (SMAD7); rs10411210 at19q13.1 (RHPN2); and rs961253 at 20p12.3 (BMP2)] and select major CRC risk factors (sex, body mass index, height, smoking status, aspirin/non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use, alcohol use, and dietary intake of calcium, folate, red meat, processed meat, vegetables, fruit, and fiber). The strongest statistical evidence for a gene-environment interaction across studies was for vegetable consumption and rs16892766, located on chromosome 8q23.3, near the EIF3H and UTP23 genes (nominal p-interaction =1.3×10–4; adjusted p-value 0.02). The magnitude of the main effect of the SNP increased with increasing levels of vegetable consumption. No other interactions were statistically significant after adjusting for multiple comparisons. Overall, the association of most CRC susceptibility loci identified in initial GWAS appears to be invariant to the other risk factors considered; however, our results suggest potential modification of the rs16892766 effect by vegetable consumption