HLA variants and their association with IgE-Mediated banana allergy: A cross-sectional study
Irin Vichara-anont,
Lalita Lumkul,
Settawut Taratikhundej,
Manop Pithukpakorn,
Ekkapong Roothumnong,
Chamard Wongsa,
Thanachit Krikeerati,
Aree Jameekornrak Taweechue,
Orathai Theankeaw,
Nathachit Limjunyawong,
Nitat Sookrung,
Torpong Thongngarm,
Mongkhon Sompornrattanaphan
Affiliations
Irin Vichara-anont
Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand; Department of Medicine, Suranaree University of Technology Hospital, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima 30000, Thailand
Lalita Lumkul
Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Clinical Statistics, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand; Center of Multidisciplinary Technology for Advanced Medicine (CMUTEAM), Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
Settawut Taratikhundej
Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand
Manop Pithukpakorn
Division of Medical Genetics, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand
Ekkapong Roothumnong
Division of Medical Genetics, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand
Chamard Wongsa
Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand; Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Center of Research Excellence in Allergy and Immunology, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand
Thanachit Krikeerati
Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand; Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Center of Research Excellence in Allergy and Immunology, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand
Aree Jameekornrak Taweechue
Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand; Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Center of Research Excellence in Allergy and Immunology, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand
Orathai Theankeaw
Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand; Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Center of Research Excellence in Allergy and Immunology, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand
Nathachit Limjunyawong
Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Center of Research Excellence in Allergy and Immunology, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand
Nitat Sookrung
Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Center of Research Excellence in Allergy and Immunology, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand; Biomedical Research Incubator Unit, Department of Research, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand
Torpong Thongngarm
Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand; Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Center of Research Excellence in Allergy and Immunology, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand
Mongkhon Sompornrattanaphan
Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand; Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Center of Research Excellence in Allergy and Immunology, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand; Corresponding author. Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand.
Background: Banana allergy is on the rise in tropical regions. Advances in genomics and candidate gene identification have increased interest in genetic factors in food allergies. However, the genetic basis of IgE-mediated banana allergy is underexplored. Objective: To characterize HLA variants and their association with IgE-mediated banana allergy. Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited banana-allergic adults, confirmed by allergology tests, with non-allergic individuals as controls. Genomic DNA extraction and sequencing BAM files for HLA typing were conducted. Allele frequency was calculated using the direct counting method, and odds ratio (OR) with 95 % confidence interval (CI) were determined. Fisher's exact or chi-square tests were used to assess associations with Bonferroni's correction for multiple tests. The allele frequency of the Thai population from The Allele Frequency Net Database was used to compute the allele enrichment ratio (ER). Results: A total of 59 cases and 64 controls were recruited. HLA genotyping indicated potential associations of HLA-B*15:25 (OR 11.872; p-value 0.027), HLA-C*04:03 (OR 7.636; p-value 0.033), and HLA-DQB1*06:09 (OR 11.558; p-value 0.039) with banana allergy. However, after Bonferroni correction, none of these associations reached statistical significance. Comparing allele frequency with the general population from The Allele Frequency Net Database, our ER analysis revealed a higher prevalence in the banana allergy group for B*15:25 (ER 1.849), C*04:03 (ER 1.332), and DQB1*06:09 (ER 6.602) alleles. Conclusions: This study provides initial genetic insights into banana allergy, suggesting potential links with specific HLA alleles. Despite 12 initially identifying alleles, none were statistically significant after multiple testing correction. Larger studies are needed to detect possible significant correlations.
