Investigation of the relationship between chronic Hepatitis B virus infection with HLA gene rs3077 and rs9277535 polymorphisms

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) affects approximately 350 million people worldwide. 10–15% of chronic carriers develop liver cirrhosis (LC), liver failure and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Genetic variants in HLA genes influence HLA mRNA expression which might also affect antigen presentation. We evaluated the association between HLA gene polymorphisms and the risk for persistent HBV infection. HLA gene polymorphisms were investigated in a case–control study of 294 chronic HBV carriers and 234 persons with HBV natural clearance by using a real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). There was a significant association between the control and the case groups for rs9277535 allele frequencies (P=0.05), but not significant for rs3077. Additionally, the AG haplotype block showed a protective effect against the risk of persistent HBV infection (P=0.003). Our results demonstrate for the first time that HLA-DPB1 gene rs9277535 A allele, especially in male, has a major effect on the risk of persistent HBV infection, but not for rs3077.