2026/07/07 by Piyash Bhattacharjee, Anika Tahsin, Abdullah Al Saba +4 · 1 voice
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Medicine · #COVID-19 Clinical Research Studies #SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research #vaccines and immunoinformatics approaches
paper · doi:10.1111/ahg.70047
openalex publication_date 2026/07/07 · openalex created_date 2026/07/08 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/08
BACKGROUND: T cells, leading to the generation of adaptive immunity. With the highest diversity among HLA molecules, HLA-DRB1 alleles and/or genotypes are often hypothesised to be associated with humoral and cellular immune components, as observed in other antiviral vaccines. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we aim to seek an association between HLA-DRB1 alleles and/or genotypes and plasma anti-SARS-CoV-2 (RBD) IgG levels. METHODS: Here, 98 participants who received two doses of COVID-19 vaccines were subjected to molecular typing of the HLA-DRB1 gene in association with the plasma anti-SARS-CoV-2 (RBD) IgG titre. RESULTS: The seropositive vaccinees had a mean (±SD) anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG level of 302.89 (±105.64) IU/mL. The most commonly found allele was HLA-DRB1*15 (28.57%), while other alleles with frequencies above 5% were HLA-DRB1*07, HLA-DRB1*12, HLA-DRB1*10, HLA-DRB1*13, HLA-DRB1*04, and HLA-DRB1*03. The most frequent genotype was HLA-DRB1*07/15 (16.32%) among these participants. Other genotypes with frequencies above 5% were HLA-DRB1*10/15, HLA-DRB1*12/15, HLA-DRB1*07/12, HLA-DRB1*13/15, HLA-DRB1*03/15, HLA-DRB1*04/10, HLA-DRB1*07/10, and HLA-DRB1*07/13. The HLA-DRB1*15 allele was associated with anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG levels among the high-antibody response (HAR) subset for whom more than 180 days (6 months) elapsed post-vaccination. However, no other alleles or genotypes were found to be directly associated with serological status or plasma anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG levels among the study participants. CONCLUSION: While this study provides insights into the genotypic and allelic distribution of the HLA-DRB1 gene among the Bangladeshi population, further investigation into allelic haplotypes, including other HLA (Class I and Class II) genes, is warranted to determine inter- and intra-population variability in vaccine-mediated protection against SARS-CoV-2.