Role of theHLA complex in the antibody response to malaria under natural conditions

Antibodies toP. falciparum antigens and to the EB virus antigens, VCA and EBNA, were determined soon after the end of the major rainy season in 140 Africans living in 3 villages at varying altitudes in northeastern Tanzania. Also, their peripheral blood mononuclear cells were stored in liquid nitrogen and subsequently used for HLA phenotype determination of serologically determined antigens coded by genes at theA andB loci and for cell culture with mitogens (PHA, Con-A PWM) and with allogeneic cells in the mixed leukocyte reaction. A strong correlation was found between the presence of high titres of immunofluorescent antibody to falciparum antigens and the combination of A2 with AW30 in the same individuals. Individuals having one or the other of these specificities, but not both, did not have unusually high titres (P=0.0005). Individuals having the combination A2 and BW17 also tended to have higher than average antibody titres to falciparum antigens, but the difference was not statistically significant (P=0.09). The data suggests that individuals with A2 and AW30 may haveHLA-associated genes having the function ofIr genes and that these genes interact from the trans position to affect the capacity to make antibodies to malarial antigens. Thus, these genes may confer a survival advantage for individuals exposed to malaria. In the cell culture studies there were no correlations between responses and with IFA titres toP. falciparum, except for an inverse association between responses to PWM and level of IFA titre. This suggests that the B cell response to mitogens is impaired in individuals with strong responses to malarial antigens. There was no association between any of the cell culture responses and the HLA phenotypes of the cell donors.Abbreviations used in this paper P. Plasmodium - EB Epstein-Barr - VCA virus capsid antigen - EBNA Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen - PHA phytohemagglutinin - Con-A concanavalin-A - PWM pokeweed mitogen - IFA immunofluorescent antibody - Ir immune response - EA early antigen - MLR mixed leukocyte reaction - EAIMVBD East African Institute for Malaria and Vector-Borne Diseases - MEM minimal essential medium - EBV Epstein-Barr virus - AMMN alpha medium minus nucleosides - equal to or less than - equal to or greater than - RGM reciprocal geometric mean