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A 3'-untranslated region polymorphism in the TBX21 gene encoding T-bet is a risk factor for genital herpes simplex virus type 2 infection in humans

Ann-Marie H. Bergin^2,

Lars Bellner^1,

¹ Department of Rheumatology and Inflammation Research, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
² Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
³ Department of Dermatovenerology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
⁴ Department of Clinical Virology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
⁵ Rheumatology Unit, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

Correspondence
Kristina Eriksson
kristina.eriksson{at}microbio.gu.se

It was recently shown that the transcription factor T-bet is crucial for adequate innate and acquired immune responses to genital herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infection in mice. To test the possible genetic influence of variations in the TBX21 gene encoding T-bet on susceptibility to infection, this study evaluated the frequencies of five different single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the human TBX21 gene in 159 HSV-2-infected individuals and compared them with those in 186 healthy HSV-2-seronegative controls. The data showed that one variation (rs17244587) in the 3'-untranslated region of TBX21 was strongly associated with the incidence of genital HSV-2 infection. The frequency of the A allele at this position was 0.19 in the group of HSV-2-infected individuals compared with 0.05 in the group of uninfected controls (P=9.3x10^–8). Furthermore, a homozygous AA genotype was found only among HSV-2-infected individuals and not in seronegative controls. These results indicate that the host genetic background may affect susceptibility to HSV-2 infection in humans, with TBX21 as a strong candidate gene.

Present address: Queen Mary University of London, Institute of Cell and Molecular Science, 4 Newark Street, London E1 2AT, UK.

Present address: Department of Pharmacology, New York Medical College, Grassland Reservation, Valhalla, NY 10595, USA.