HLA-B7 explained

major histocompatibility complex (human), class I, B7

Alleles B*0702, *0703, *0704, *0705
Structure (See HLA-B)
Alleles (See Serotyping)
chr.6 6p21.31

HLA-B7 (B7) is an HLA-B serotype. The serotype identifies the more common HLA-B*07 gene products.[1] (For terminology help see: HLA-serotype tutorial) B7, previously HL-A7, was one of the first 'HL-A' antigens recognized, largely because of the frequency of B*0702 in Northern and Western Europe and the United States. B7 is found in two major haplotypes in Europe, where it reaches peak frequency in Ireland. One haplotype A3-B7-DR15-DQ1 can be found over a vast region and is in apparent selective disequilibrium. B7 is a risk factor for cervical cancer, sarcoidosis, and early-onset spondylarthropathies.

Serology

B7 serotype recognition of Some HLA B*07 allele-group gene products[2]
B*07 B7 Sample
allele % size (N)
0702 98 10841
0703 93 15
0704 89 44
0705 95 42
0706 96 23
0707 92 13
0709 78 9
Alleles link-out to IMGT/HLA Databease at EBI

Alleles

HLA B*0702 frequencies
freq
ref. Population (%)
[3] Ireland South17.6
Ireland Northern17.3
Australia New South Wales12.0
Croatia9.7
Azores S. Maria & Miguel9.0
Cameroon Beti8.6
Saudi Arabia Guraiat and Hail8.3
Azores Central Islands8.0
France South East7.2
Cameroon Bamileke7.1
Portugal Centre7.0
Italy North pop 16.7
Japan Central6.5
Czech Republic6.1
Uganda Kampala5.9
Mali Bandiagara5.8
Senegal Niokholo Mandenka5.8
India Mumbai Marathas4.9
Zambia Lusaka4.6
Zimbabwe Harare Shona4.6
South African Natal Zulu4.5
Romanian3.7
South Korea (3)3.5
Shijiazhuang Tianjian Han, China3.4
India North Delhi3.3
Kenya Luo2.5
China Guangzhou Han2.4
Mexico Chihuahua Tarahumara2.3
Sudanese2.3
Singapore Javanese Indonesians2.0
Spain Eastern Andalusia Gipsy2.0
New Caledonia1.9
Oman1.7
USA Alaska Yupik Natives1.6
China Beijing1.5
Tunisia1.5
Argentina Toba Rosario1.2
Singapore Chinese Han1.2
USA Arizona Pima1.1
American Samoa1.0
Japan Ainu Hokkaido1.0
Kenya Nandi1.0
Portugal South1.0
Singapore Riau Malay1.0
Singapore Thai1.0

In disease

Cervical cancer

HLA-B7 along with HLA-DQ8 increased risk for cervical cancer in Costa Rican [4] and South Asian women[5]

Sarcoidosis

A weak relationship between HLA-B7 and sarcoidosis has been known for 30+ years, [6] yet has not consistently been reproducible in all studies however. A common serologically defined haplotype in Europeans is HLA A3-Cw7-B7-DR15-DQ6.2 which is composed of alleles A*0301:Cw*0701:B*0702:DRB1*1501:DQA1*0102:DQB1*0602. In persistent sarcoidosis this haplotype appears elevated, further study eliminated risk contributed by A3-Cw7 and DQ6.2 indicating B7-DR15 haplotype contains risk of disease (OR = 2.5). Corresponding region of chromosome 6 contains nearly one million nucleotides thus these genes, or another closely linked gene could be involved in such massing of inflammatory granulomata.[7]

Juvenile Spondylarthropathies

In Croatian children, two HLA-B27 alleles were found associated with disease, B*2702, B*2705.[8] The study showed also B*0702 in cooperation with B*27, the HLA-B*07/B*27 combination with D6S273-134 genomic marker allele and was found not to be the result of linkage disequilibrium. B*2705 was found to be dominant allele associated.

Haemochromatosis

The HFE gene responsible for haemochromatosis is distal on chromosome 6 from HLA-A and more so from HLA-B, the distance suffices (3 million nucleotides) to allow equilibration of the loci. Nonetheless, a linkage has been found between A3-B7 haplotype and haemochromatosis. The region is almost 1.4 million nucleotides in length and contains many other genes that could be involved. A more recent study looked at a number of linked gene-alleles and found I82-2:D6S265-1:HLA-A3:D6S128-2:HLA-F1:D6S105-8 was constantly associated while B7 appeared beyond the haplotype linked to disease.[9]

Covid-19

In october 2021, a team of researcher from Centre hospitalier universitaire Sainte-Justine in Montreal, Canada, announced the discovery of HLA-B7 genetic marker as a potential cause for severe form of covid-19. While they noted that more work will be necessary to confirm this discovery, they found that individuals carrying the HLA-B7 genetic marker, which represents 35% of the population worldwide, are more likely to have a less effective immune response to covid-19.[10] [11]

Notes and References

  1. 2848993 . 2010 . Marsh . S. G. . Nomenclature for factors of the HLA system, 2010 . Tissue Antigens . 75 . 4 . 291–455 . Albert . E. D. . Bodmer . W. F. . Bontrop . R. E. . Dupont . B. . Erlich . H. A. . Fernández-Viña . M. . Geraghty . D. E. . Holdsworth . R. . Hurley . C. K. . Lau . M. . Lee . K. W. . Mach . B. . Maiers . M. . Mayr . W. R. . Müller . C. R. . Parham . P. . Petersdorf . E. W. . Sasazuki . T. . Strominger . J. L. . Svejgaard . A. . Terasaki . P. I. . Tiercy . J. M. . Trowsdale . J. . 20356336 . 10.1111/j.1399-0039.2010.01466.x .
  2. http://www.ebi.ac.uk/imgt/hla/allele.html derived from IMGT/HLA
  3. Middleton D, Menchaca L, Rood H, Komerofsky R . New allele frequency database. Tissue Antigens . 61 . 5 . 403–7 . 2003 . 12753660 . 10.1034/j.1399-0039.2003.00062.x . free .
  4. Wang SS, Wheeler CM, Hildesheim A, etal . Human leukocyte antigen class I and II alleles and risk of cervical neoplasia: results from a population-based study in Costa Rica . J. Infect. Dis. . 184 . 10 . 1310–4 . November 2001 . 11679920 . 10.1086/324209. free .
  5. Bhattacharya P, Sengupta S . Predisposition to HPV16/18-related cervical cancer because of proline homozygosity at codon 72 of p53 among Indian women is influenced by HLA-B*07 and homozygosity of HLA-DQB1*03 . Tissue Antigens . 70 . 4 . 283–93 . October 2007 . 17767549 . 10.1111/j.1399-0039.2007.00894.x .
  6. Rybicki BA, Iannuzzi MC . Sarcoidosis and human leukocyte antigen class I and II genes: it takes two to tango? . Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. . 169 . 6 . 665–6 . March 2004 . 15003948 . 10.1164/rccm.2401005 .
  7. Grunewald J, Eklund A, Olerup O . Human leukocyte antigen class I alleles and the disease course in sarcoidosis patients . Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. . 169 . 6 . 696–702 . March 2004 . 14656748 . 10.1164/rccm.200303-459OC . 10.1.1.321.2788 .
  8. Harjacek M, Margetić T, Kerhin-Brkljacić V, Martinez N, Grubić Z . HLA-B*27/HLA-B*07 in combination with D6S273-134 allele is associated with increased susceptibility to juvenile spondyloarthropathies . Clin. Exp. Rheumatol. . 26 . 3 . 498–504 . 2008 . 18578977 .
  9. Raha-Chowdhury R, Bowen DJ, Burnett AK, Worwood M . Allelic associations and homozygosity at loci from HLA-B to D6S299 in genetic haemochromatosis . J. Med. Genet. . 32 . 6 . 446–52 . June 1995 . 7666396 . 1050484 . 10.1136/jmg.32.6.446.
  10. Web site: Une découverte québécoise pourrait permettre d'identifier les patients à risque d'une forme grave de la COVID-19. 12 October 2021.
  11. https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1830925/covid-identification-rapide-patients-risque-maladie-grave/