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A human IFNGR1 small deletion hotspot associated with dominant susceptibility to mycobacterial infection

Abstract

The immunogenetic basis of severe infections caused by bacille Calmette-Guérin vaccine and environmental mycobacteria in humans remains largely unknown. We describe 18 patients from several generations of 12 unrelated families who were heterozygous for 1 to 5 overlapping IFNGR1 frameshift small deletions and a wild-type IFNGR1 allele. There were 12 independent mutation events at a single mutation site, defining a small deletion hotspot. Neighbouring sequence analysis favours a small deletion model of slipped mispairing events during replication. The mutant alleles encode cell-surface IFNγ receptors that lack the intra-cytoplasmic domain, which, through a combination of impaired recycling, abrogated signalling and normal binding to IFNγ exert a dominant-negative effect. We thus report a hotspot for human IFNGR1 small deletions that confer dominant susceptibility to infections caused by poorly virulent mycobacteria.

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Figure 1: Pedigrees of 12 families with mycobacterial infection.
Figure 2: Intrafamilial segregation of 818del4 and wild-type IFNGR1 alleles.
Figure 3: Cell-surface expression of IFNγR1 molecules in cells heterozygous for 818del4 and wild-type IFNGR1 alleles.
Figure 4: IFNγR1-mediated signalling in cells heterozygous for 818del4 and wild-type IFNGR1 alleles.
Figure 5: A hotspot for human small deletions.
Figure 6: Dominant-negative IFNγ receptors.

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Acknowledgements

We thank J. Peake for critical reading; C. Hivroz, F. Le Deist, B. Lisowska-Grospierre, M. Krawczak, C. Soudais and J. Wietzerbin for helpful discussions; D. Recan for EBV transformation of B cells; the late D. Lipscombe, who referred patients from kindred A for immunological assessment; and R.A. Thompson, who carried out the initial immunologic assessment. J.-L.C. thanks P. Even for encouragement and support. This work was supported by institutional grants from INSERM, AFM, PHRC, PNRFMMIP, MRC (UK) and West-Midland Regional Research Fund. E.J. is supported by the Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer, S.L. by the Association Recherche et Partage, R.D. by the INSERM, F.A. by the AFM and D.L. by the Glaxo-Wellcome Action TB programme.

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Correspondence to Jean-Laurent Casanova.

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Jouanguy, E., Lamhamedi-Cherradi, S., Lammas, D. et al. A human IFNGR1 small deletion hotspot associated with dominant susceptibility to mycobacterial infection. Nat Genet 21, 370–378 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/7701

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