Identification of the novel null allele HLA-DPB1*1449:01N by next-generation sequencing.

The novel HLA-DPB1*1449:01N allele differs from HLA-DPB1*16:01:01:01 by a nucleotide at codon 92 in exon 2.

The complex HLA-E-nonapeptide in Behçet disease.

Introduction: The knowledge of the aetiology of Behçet disease (BD), an immune-mediated vasculitis, is limited. HLA-B, mainly HLA-B51, and HLA-A molecules are associated with disease, but the ultimate cause of this association remains obscure. There is evidence that NK cells participate in the etiopathology of BD.

Monitoring of kinetics and exhaustion markers of circulating CAR-T cells as early predictive factors in patients with B-cell malignancies.

Purpose: CAR-T cell therapy has proven to be a disruptive treatment in the hematology field, however, less than 50% of patients maintain long-term response and early predictors of outcome are still inconsistently defined. Here, we aimed to optimize the detection of CD19 CAR-T cells in blood and to identify phenotypic features as early biomarkers associated with toxicity and outcomes.

Experimental Design: In this study, monitoring by flow cytometry and digital PCR (dPCR), and immunophenotypic characterization of circulating CAR-T cells from 48 patients treated with Tisa-cel or Axi-cel was performed.

Higher plasma levels of thymosin-α1 are associated with a lower waning of humoral response after COVID-19 vaccination: an eight months follow-up study in a nursing home.

Background: Older people achieve lower levels of antibody titers than younger populations after Covid-19 vaccination and show a marked waning humoral immunity over time, likely due to the senescence of the immune system. Nevertheless, age-related predictive factors of the waning humoral immune response to the vaccine have been scarcely explored. In a cohort of residents and healthcare workers from a nursing home that had received two doses of the BNT162b2 vaccine, we measured specific anti-S antibodies one (T1), four (T4), and eight (T8) months after receiving the second dose.

Factors associated with the humoral response after three doses of COVID-19 vaccination in kidney transplant recipients.

Introduction: Kidney transplant recipients showed a weak humoral response to the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine despite receiving three cumulative doses of the vaccine. New approaches are still needed to raise protective immunity conferred by the vaccine administration within this group of high-risk patients.

Methods: To analyze the humoral response and identify any predictive factors within these patients, we designed a prospective monocentric longitudinal study of Kidney transplant recipients (KTR) who received three doses of mRNA-1273 COVID-19 vaccine.

Sex-specific analysis in Behçet's disease reveals higher genetic risk in male patients.

Objectives: Behçet's disease tends to be more severe in men than women. This study was undertaken to investigate sex-specific genetic effects in Behçet's disease.

Methods: A total of 1762 male and 1216 female patients with Behçet's disease from six diverse populations were studied, with the majority of patients of Turkish origin.

Protein and functional isoform levels and genetic variants of the BAFF and APRIL pathway components in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is the prototype of an autoimmune disease. Belimumab, a monoclonal antibody targets BAFF, is the only biologic approved for SLE and active lupus nephritis. BAFF is a cytokine with a key-regulatory role in the B cell homeostasis, which acts by binding to three receptors: BAFF-R, TACI and BCMA.

HLA-E restricted cytomegalovirus UL40 peptide polymorphism may represent a risk factor following congenital infection.

Background: Congenital cytomegalovirus immunopathogenesis is largely unknown and multifactorial due to the complex interactions between viral, maternal, placental, and child factors. Polymorphisms in the HLA-E binding UL40 peptide mimics HLA-E complexed peptides from certain HLA-A, -B, -C and -G alleles, which regulate the cellular immune response driven by natural killer-cells (NK) and CD8 + T cells. The aim of this study was to compare UL40 peptides distribution in congenital CMV and the counterpart HLA Class I peptides in a healthy cohort to investigate risk factors and markers for cCMV disease.

Variants in autoinflammatory diseases-related genes in a family with cold-induced autoinflammatory syndrome.

Objectives: To characterise what immunogenetic alterations are present in a Spanish family having several members with a familial cold-induced autoinflammatory syndrome (FCAS), a kind of autoinflammatory disease (AID).

Methods: We present the case of two sisters (cases 1 and 2) with a similar clinical picture since their childhood. The symptoms start after exposure to cold and consist of recurrent fever, papules or urticaria, and oedema in hands and fingers.

Brief Report: Toll-like Receptor 9-1635A/G Polymorphism Is Associated With HIV-1 Rebound After Four Weeks of Interruption of Antiretroviral Therapy.

Objectives: This study aims to analyze the association of the presence of common polymorphisms [single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)] on Toll-like receptors (TLRs), such as TLR9-1635A/G, TLR2-1892A/C, TLR2-2258G/A, TLR4-899A/G, and TLR4-1196C/T, with the viral rebound after stopping antiretroviral treatment (ART). CCR5-Δ32 deletion and HLA-A/HLA-B alleles were also analyzed.

Design: Interruption of ART may be required to investigate the outcome of strategies aimed to achieve drug-free HIV remission or cure.

Lower frequency of anti-citrullinated protein antibodies among early arthritis patients with high body mass index.

Objectives: To investigate the role of body mass index (BMI) in the phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of early arthritis patients.

Methods: We analysed the clinical and laboratory parameters from the baseline visit of patients (670 patients [78.51% women]) included in the PEARL study.

The role of a functional variant of TYK2 in vasculitides and infections.

Objectives: The TYK2 gene encodes a tyrosin kinase which is involved in multiple immune functions. A functional variant of this gene has been identified to play a protective role in multiple autoimmune diseases. The goal of this study was to evaluate the involvement of this variant of TYK2 in vasculitides [giant cell arteritis (GCA), ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) and IgA vasculitis (IgAV)] and viral infections [hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus type I (HIV-1)].

Association of Functional Polymorphisms of KIR3DL1/DS1 With Behçet's Disease.

Behçet's disease (BD) is an immune-mediated vasculitis related to imbalances between the innate and adaptive immune response. Infectious agents or environmental factors may trigger the disease in genetically predisposed individuals. HLA-B51 is the genetic factor stronger associated with the disease, although the bases of this association remain elusive.

Behçet's disease and genetic interactions between HLA-B*51 and variants in genes of autoinflammatory syndromes.

Behçet's disease (BD) is an immune-mediated systemic disorder with a well-established genetic base. In a previous study, using a next generation sequencing approach, we found many rare variants and some functional polymorphisms in genes related to autoinflammatory syndromes (AID): CECR1, MEFV, MVK, NLRP3, NOD2, PSTPIP1 and TNFRSF1A in our BD cohort. Our strategy did not allow us to establish either number of patients with variants, proportion of individuals accumulating them or relationship with other genetic factors.

High-resolution characterization of allelic and haplotypic HLA frequency distribution in a Spanish population using high-throughput next-generation sequencing.

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) at the HLA-A, -B, -C, -DPA1, -DPB1, -DQA1, -DQB1, -DRB1 and -DRB3/4/5 loci was performed on 282 healthy unrelated individuals from different major regions of Spain. High-resolution HLA genotypes defined by full sequencing of class I loci and extended coverage of class II loci were obtained to determine allele frequencies and also to estimate extended haplotype frequencies. HLA alleles were typed at the highest resolution level (4-field level, 4FL); with exception of a minor deviation in HLA-DPA1, no statistically significant deviations from expected Hardy Weinberg Equilibrium (HWE) proportions were observed for all other HLA loci.

Specific Association of HLA-DRB1*03 With Anti-Carbamylated Protein Antibodies in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Objective: Recognition of a new type of rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-specific autoantibody, the anti-carbamylated protein antibodies (anti-CarP), has provided an opportunity to improve the management and understanding of RA. The current study was undertaken to assess the relationship between anti-CarP antibodies and HLA-DRB1 alleles in RA.

Methods: Serum samples were obtained from 3 different collections, comprising a total of 1,126 RA patients.

Association of a rare variant of the TNFSF13B gene with susceptibility to Rheumatoid Arthritis and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

A rare variant (BAFF-var) of the tumor necrosis factor superfamily 13b (TNFSF13B) gene has been recently associated with multiple sclerosis (MS) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The aim of this study was to investigate the association between TNFSF13B BAFF-var and susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and replicate that association in SLE. 6,218 RA patients, 2,575 SLE patients and 4,403 healthy controls from three different countries were included in the study.

Cross-phenotype analysis of Immunochip data identifies as a relevant for the development of systemic vasculitis.

Objetive: Systemic vasculitides represent a heterogeneous group of rare complex diseases of the blood vessels with a poorly understood aetiology. To investigate the shared genetic component underlying their predisposition, we performed the first cross-phenotype meta-analysis of genetic data from different clinically distinct patterns of vasculitis.

Methods: Immunochip genotyping data from 2465 patients diagnosed with giant cell arteritis, Takayasu's arteritis, antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis or IgA vasculitis as well as 4632 unaffected controls were analysed to identify common susceptibility for vasculitis development.

An in vitro system of autologous lymphocytes culture that allows the study of homeostatic proliferation mechanisms in human naive CD4 T-cells.

The size of peripheral T-cell pool is kept constant throughout life. However, a decline in lymphocyte numbers is a feature of several human disorders, in which fast and slow homeostatic proliferation play a crucial role. Several in vitro and in vivo models have been developed to study such processes.

Mutational profile of rare variants in inflammasome-related genes in Behçet disease: A Next Generation Sequencing approach.

Behçet's disease (BD) is an immune-mediated systemic disorder with a well-established association with HLA class I and other genes. BD has clinical overlap with many autoinflammatory diseases (AIDs). The aim of this study was to investigate the role of rare variants in seven genes involved in AIDs: CECR1, MEFV, MVK, NLRP3, NOD2, PSTPIP1 and TNFRSF1A using a next generation sequencing (NGS) approach in 355 BD patients.

The Behçet's disease-associated variant of the aminopeptidase ERAP1 shapes a low-affinity HLA-B*51 peptidome by differential subpeptidome processing.

A low-activity variant of endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 1 (ERAP1), Hap10, is associated with the autoinflammatory disorder Behçet's disease (BD) in epistasis with HLA-B*51, which is the main risk factor for this disorder. The role of Hap10 in BD pathogenesis is unknown. We sought to define the effects of Hap10 on the HLA-B*51 peptidome and to distinguish these effects from those due to HLA-B*51 polymorphisms unrelated to disease.