JoLyn Turner

Association of APOL1 variants with mild kidney disease in the first-degree relatives of African American patients with non-diabetic end-stage renal disease.

Familial aggregation of non-diabetic end stage renal disease (ESRD) is found in African Americans and variants in the apolipoprotein L1 gene (APOL1) contribute to this risk. To detect genetic associations with milder forms of nephropathy in high-risk families, analyses were performed using generalized estimating equations to assess relationships between kidney disease phenotypes and APOL1 variants in 786 relatives of 470 families. Adjusting for familial correlations, 23.1, 46.7, and 30.2 percent of genotyped relatives possessed two, one, or no APOL1 risk variants, respectively. Relatives with two compared to one or no risk variants had statistically indistinguishable median systolic blood pressure, urine albumin to creatinine ratio, estimated GFR (MDRD equation) and serum cystatin C levels. After adjusting for age, gender, age at ESRD in families, and African ancestry, significant associations were detected between APOL1 with overt proteinuria and estimated GFR (CKD-EPI equation), with a trend toward significance for quantitative albuminuria. Thus, relatives of African Americans with non-diabetic ESRD are enriched for APOL1 risk variants. After adjustment, two APOL1 risk variants weakly predict mild forms of kidney disease. Second hits appear necessary for the initiation of APOL1-associated nephropathy.

JC polyoma virus interacts with APOL1 in African Americans with nondiabetic nephropathy

Individuals with HIV infection and two apolipoprotein L1 gene (APOL1) risk variants frequently develop nephropathy. Here we tested whether non-HIV viral infections influence nephropathy risk via interactions with APOL1 by assessing APOL1 genotypes and presence of urine JC and BK polyoma virus and plasma HHV6 and CMV by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. We analyzed 300 samples from unrelated and related first-degree relatives of African Americans with non-diabetic nephropathy using linear and non-linear mixed models to account for familial relationships. The four groups evaluated were APOL1 0/1 versus 2 risk alleles, with or without nephropathy. Urine JCV and BKV were detected in 90 and 29 patients while HHV6 and CMV were rare. Adjusting for family age at nephropathy, gender and ancestry, presence of JCV genomic DNA in urine and APOL1 risk alleles were significantly negatively associated with elevated serum cystatin C, albuminuria (albumin to creatinine ratio over 30 mg/g), and kidney disease defined as an eGFR under 60 ml/min per 1.73 m2 and/or albuminuria in an additive (APOL1 plus JCV) model. BK viruria was not associated with kidney disease. Thus, African Americans at increased risk for APOL1-associated nephropathy (two APOL1 risk variants) with JC viruria had a lower prevalence of kidney disease, suggesting that JCV interaction with APOL1 genotype may influence kidney disease risk.

Apolipoprotein L1 nephropathy risk variants associate with HDL subfraction concentration in African Americans

BACKGROUND Coding variants in the apolipoprotein L1 gene (APOL1) are strongly associated with non-diabetic nephropathy in African Americans. ApoL1 proteins associate with high-density lipoprotein (HDL) particles in the circulation. Plasma HDL particle subclass concentrations were compared in 73 African Americans based on APOL1 genotypes to detect differences potentially contributing to renal disease. METHODS HDL subclass concentrations were measured using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy in African American first-degree relatives of patients with non-diabetic end-stage renal disease. Participants had estimated glomerular filtration rates (GFRs) > 80 mL/min and lacked albuminuria. Additive effects of the number of APOL1 risk variants on natural logarithm-transformed HDL subclass concentrations were computed. RESULTS Participants were 58.9% female with mean ± SD age 47.2 ± 13.3 years and GFR 92.4 ± 18.8 mL/min. The numbers with 2, 1 and 0 APOL1 nephropathy risk variants, respectively, were 36, 17 and 20. Mean ± SD medium-sized HDL concentrations were significantly lower for each additional APOL1 risk variant (2 versus 1 versus 0 risk variants: 9.0 ± 5.6 versus 10.1 ± 5.5 versus 13.1 ± 8.2 μmol/L, respectively; P = 0.0222 unadjusted; P = 0.0162 triglyceride- and ancestry adjusted). CONCLUSIONS Lower medium-sized HDL subclass concentrations are present in African Americans based on increasing numbers of APOL1 nephropathy risk variants. Potential mechanistic roles of altered medium HDL concentrations on APOL1-associated renal microvascular diseases should be evaluated.

Hepatic peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ and α-mRNA expression in HCV-infected adults is decreased by HIV co-infection and is also affected by ethnicity

OBJECTIVE: To determine peroxisome proliferator activated receptor α and γ mRNA expression in liver tissue of hepatitis C virus-infected patients with and without human immunodeficiency virus and its possible contribution to an acceleration of liver disease progression. METHODS: We measured peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α and γ mRNA expression by real-time polymerase chain reaction in liver tissues from 40 subjects infected only with hepatitis C virus, 36 subjects co-infected with hepatitis C virus and human immunodeficiency virus and 11 normal adults. RESULTS: Hepatic mRNA expression of both peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors was significantly lower in hepatitis C virus-infected subjects with and without human immunodeficiency virus co-infection compared to the controls. Non-black race was also identified as a predictor of lower peroxisome receptor α and γ mRNA expression. Compared to subjects infected only with hepatitis C virus, liver peroxisome receptor γ mRNA expression was significantly lower in hepatitis C virus/human immunodeficiency virus-co-infected subjects (0.0092 in hepatitis C virus/human immunodeficiency virus-co-infection vs. 0.0120 in hepatitis C virus-only; p=0.004). Hepatic peroxisome receptor α mRNA expression in the hepatitis C virus-infected patients was lower in the presence of human immunodeficiency virus co-infection in non-black subjects (0.0769 vs. 0.1061; p=0.02), whereas the levels did not vary based on human immunodeficiency virus status among black subjects. CONCLUSION: mRNA expression of both peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors is impaired in hepatitis C virus-infected liver and further reduced by human immunodeficiency virus co-infection, although the suppressive effects of the viruses are substantially mitigated in black patients.

JC polyoma viruria associates with protection from chronic kidney disease independently from apolipoprotein L1 genotype in African Americans

Background Viral infections can trigger chronic kidney disease (CKD) and the urine virome may inform risk. The Natural History of APOL1-Associated Nephropathy Study (NHAANS) reported that urine JC polyomavirus (JCPyV) associated with a lower risk of APOL1-associated nephropathy in African Americans. Herein, association was assessed between urine JCPyV with CKD in African Americans independent from the APOL1 genotype. Methods Quantitative polymerase chain reaction was performed for urinary detection of JCPyV and BK polyoma virus (BKPyV) in 200 newly recruited nondiabetic African Americans. A combined analysis was performed in these individuals plus 300 NHAANS participants. Results In the 200 new participants, urine JCPyV was present in 8.8% of CKD cases and 45.8% of nonnephropathy controls (P = 3.0 × 10-8). In those with APOL1 renal-risk genotypes, JCPyV was detected in 5.1% of cases and 40.0% of controls (P = 0.0002). In those lacking APOL1 renal-risk genotypes, JCPyV was detected in 12.2% of cases and 48.8% of controls (P = 8.5 × 10-5). BKPyV was detected in 1.3% of cases and 0.8% of controls (P  =  0.77). In a combined analysis with 300 NHAANS participants (n = 500), individuals with urine JCPyV had a 63% lower risk of CKD compared with those without urine JCPyV (odds ratio 0.37; P = 4.6 × 10-6). RNA fluorescence in situ hybridization confirmed the presence of JCPyV genomic DNA and JCPyV messenger RNA (mRNA) in nondiseased kidney. Conclusions Inverse relationships exist between JCPyV viruria and non-diabetic CKD. Future studies should determine whether renal inflammation associated with CKD is less permissive for JCPyV reactivation/replication or whether JCPyV is a marker of reduced host immune responsiveness that diminishes immune pathologic contributions to CKD.

1221Air and Surface Burden of Measles Virus in a Hospital Setting

1221. Air and Surface Burden of Measles Virus in a Hospital Setting John Stehle Jr., PhD; Rebecca Mcnall, BS; Maria Blevins, BS; Jolyn Turner, PhD; Paul Rota, PhD; Werner Bischoff, MD, PhD; Infectious Diseases, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC; Measles, Mumps, Rubella and Herpesviruses Laboratory Branch Division of Viral Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA