Relationship between HLA genetic variations, COVID-19 vaccine antibody response, and risk of breakthrough outcomes

Junqing Xie, Beatriz Mothe, Marta Alcalde Herraiz, Chunxiao Li, Yu Xu, Annika M. Jödicke, Yaqing Gao, Yunhe Wang, Shuo Feng, Jia Wei, Zhuoyao Chen, Shenda Hong, Yeda Wu, Binbin Su, Xiaoying Zheng, Catherine Cohet, Raghib Ali, Nick Wareham, Daniel Prieto Alhambra

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The rapid global distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, with over a billion doses administered, has been unprecedented. However, in comparison to most identified clinical determinants, the implications of individual genetic factors on antibody responses post-COVID-19 vaccination for breakthrough outcomes remain elusive. Here, we conducted a population-based study including 357,806 vaccinated participants with high-resolution HLA genotyping data, and a subset of 175,000 with antibody serology test results. We confirmed prior findings that single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with antibody response are predominantly located in the Major Histocompatibility Complex region, with the expansive HLA-DQB1*06 gene alleles linked to improved antibody responses. However, our results did not support the claim that this mutation alone can significantly reduce COVID-19 risk in the general population. In addition, we discovered and validated six HLA alleles (A*03:01, C*16:01, DQA1*01:02, DQA1*01:01, DRB3*01:01, and DPB1*10:01) that independently influence antibody responses and demonstrated a combined effect across HLA genes on the risk of breakthrough COVID-19 outcomes. Lastly, we estimated that COVID-19 vaccine-induced antibody positivity provides approximately 20% protection against infection and 50% protection against severity. These findings have immediate implications for functional studies on HLA molecules and can inform future personalised vaccination strategies.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number4031
JournalNature communications
Volume15
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2024

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Chemistry
  • General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
  • General Physics and Astronomy

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