Genomic Markers Associated with Cytomegalovirus DNAemia in Kidney Transplant Recipients

Overview

Journal Viruses

Publisher MDPI

Specialty Microbiology

Date 2023 Nov 25

PMID 38005904

Authors

Guy Shapira

Hadas Volkov

Itai Fabian

David W Mohr

Maria Bettinotti

Noam Shomron

Robin K Avery

Ravit Arav-Boger

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a major pathogen after solid organ transplantation, leading to high morbidity and mortality. Transplantation from a CMV-seropositive donor to a CMV-seronegative recipient (D+/R-) is associated with high risk of CMV disease. However, that risk is not uniform, suggesting a role for host factors in immune control of CMV. To identify host genetic factors that control CMV DNAemia post transplantation, we performed a whole-exome association study in two cohorts of D+/R- kidney transplant recipients. Quantitative CMV DNA was measured for at least one year following transplantation. Several CMV-protective single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified in the first cohort (72 patients) but were not reproducible in the second cohort (126 patients). A meta-analysis of both cohorts revealed several SNPs that were significantly associated with protection from CMV DNAemia. The copy number variation of several genes was significantly different between recipients with and without CMV DNAemia. Amongst patients with CMV DNAemia in the second cohort, several variants of interest ( < 5 × 10), the most common of which was NLRC5, were associated with peak viral load. We provide new predictive genetic markers for protection of CMV DNAemia. These markers should be validated in larger cohorts.

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