47-0.83), compared with subjects with WT homozygotes of the two SNPs. In stratified analyses, no obvious evidence of heterogeneity associations for the combined effects of these independence SNPs on HBV clearance and HCC risk was observed (Supporting Table 3). LD information of these four SNPs is shown in Supporting Table 4. We performed haplotype analysis to assess the effect of the haplotype

containing HLA-DP and HLA-DQ variant alleles (Supporting Table 5). When compared with the most frequent GGAG haplotype, all other haplotypes containing variant alleles of the four SNPs were significantly associated with HBV clearance (P value range from 1.75 × 10−3 to 3.12 × 10−11), which was consistent with the single SNP analysis. However, for HCC risk, the haplotype carrying rs3077 and www.selleckchem.com/products/NVP-AUY922.html rs2856718 (AAGG) showed a protective effect, but the haplotype carrying rs9277535 (GAAG) expressed a significant risk effect (compared to GGAG). In this study, we

investigated the associations between four SNPs in HLA-DP (rs3077 and rs9277535) and HLA-DQ (rs2856718 and rs7453920) and risk of HBV clearance and HBV-related HCC in Southeast Han Chinese populations. PD-0332991 chemical structure This is the first study that validated the results of HLA-DQ variations and HBV persistence with a carefully selected control group, compared with the published GWAS,7, 8 and further expanded the data on HBV-related HCC. During the preparation and revision of the manuscript for this article, five studies replicated the associations of the two HLA-DP SNPs (rs3077 and rs9277535) and chronic HBV infection in Han Chinese, which were all consistent with our observations.9-13 For HBV-related HCC, only two studies9, 13 on rs9277535 and one study9 on rs3077 was published. We performed a mini meta-analysis with a dominant genetic model on these two SNPs and HCC risk by pooling our current data and the published data. rs9277535 was not associated with HCC risk, either using controls of chronic HBV infection or chronic HBV infection learn more and cirrhosis (Supporting Fig. 2). However, compared with chronic

HBV infections, only one small study (265 HCC and 591 controls) genotyped the SNP rs3077 and found a comparable (but not significant) association with HBV-related HCC as ours (Supporting Fig. 2). No study reported the associations between the two HLA-DQ SNPs (rs2856718 and rs7453920) and HCC risk, much less the HLA-DP/DQ haplotypes. Compared with the most frequent haplotype GGAG, the haplotype carrying rs3077 and rs2856718 (AAGG) showed a protective effect, which was consistent with the single SNP effects. However, the haplotype-carrying rs9277535 (GAAG) expressed a significant risk effect, although the single SNP analysis did not show obvious associations. Thus, the effects by HLA-DP and HLA-DQ may not be independent; further fine mapping studies are recommended. In the current study, we also typed the previously reported susceptibility locus, KIF1B, at 1p36.22 (rs17401966) for HBV-related HCC.