Examining extended human leukocyte antigen-G and HLA-F haplotypes: the HLA-G UTR-4 haplotype is associated with shorter time to pregnancy in an infertility treatment setting when both female and male partners are carriers.

OBJECTIVE: To study the impact of extended human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-G and HLA-F haplotypes on time to pregnancy as measured by the number of treatment cycles in a cohort of couples in infertility treatment. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study of couples undergoing infertility treatment. SETTING: University hospital. PATIENT(S): A cohort of 127 couples and four single women in infertility treatment. INTERVENTION(S): Next-generation sequencing of the HLA-G gene and genotyping of three HLA-F locus single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Extended HLA-F.HLA-G haplotypes, HLA-G promoter haplotypes and HLA-G 3'UTR haplotypes and their association with time to pregnancy as measured by number of treatment cycles until achievement of pregnancy with a live birth. Linkage disequilibrium between HLA-G variations and three HLA-F locus SNPs that impact time to pregnancy. RESULT(S): The effect of the HLA-G 3'UTR haplotype, UTR-4, was significantly increased, or modified, if the partner was a carrier compared to being a noncarrier. Extended HLA-F.HLA-G haplotypes, HLA-G promoter haplotypes, and the HLA-G 14 bp indel of the female partners were not associated with time to pregnancy. However, a trend for an association of the HLA-G 14bp insertion allele with a higher frequency of miscarriage than the 14bp deletion allele was observed. Certain HLA-G variations are in linkage disequilibrium with three HLA-F locus SNPs that influence time to pregnancy. CONCLUSION(S): HLA-G UTR-4 is significantly associated with time to pregnancy in couples undergoing infertility treatment. The findings could imply that both male and female HLA class Ib genetics have clinical relevance in reproduction.

Variation in the HLA-F gene locus with functional impact is associated with pregnancy success and time-to-pregnancy after fertility treatment.

STUDY QUESTION: The aim of this study was to investigate a possible influence of three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the HLA-F gene locus on time-to-pregnancy and pregnancy success after fertility treatment. SUMMARY ANSWER: HLA-F SNP genotypes and HLA-F diplotypes are associated with the number of fertility treatment cycles needed to achieve pregnancy and live birth. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: HLA class Ib molecules, including HLA-F, which are known to be expressed by extra-villous trophoblast cells have immunomodulatory properties and play a role at the feto-maternal interface. However, a few recent studies suggest that HLA-F expressed in the mid-luteal endometrium may play a part in the establishment of pregnancy as well. Three genetic polymorphisms in the HLA-F gene locus influence the expression of HLA-F in the mid-luteal endometrium and are associated with time-to-pregnancy in healthy women. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: The current study included 102 female patients and 91 male patients attending for ART treatment and recruited between 2009 and 2014 at fertility clinics in a University Hospital setting, and 78 fertile female controls recruited in 2017 and 2018 at a department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in a University Hospital. All women in the control group conceived naturally, and no other clinical data for the controls were retrieved. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: Genotyping of genomic DNA from blood samples was performed with Sanger sequencing for the three SNPs of interest in the HLA-F gene locus: rs1362126 (G/A), rs2523405 (T/G) and rs2523393 (A/G). Furthermore, clinical data were collected for the couples in fertility treatment. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: There were no significant differences in the distributions of the three HLA-F SNP genotypes and alleles between the female fertile control group and the female infertility group. We considered if the number of treatment cycles was related to the HLA-F SNP genotypes and HLA-F diplotypes in a discrete time to event analyses. A significant association with longer time-to-pregnancy, measured as number of fertility treatment cycles, was observed for women in the ART group who carried the HLA-F genotypes that are associated with a lower amount of HLA-F mRNA expressed in mid-luteal endometrium. For the rs1362126 AA genotype relative to the GG genotype, the odds ratio (OR) was 0.30 (95% CI = 0.10-0.87, P = 0.02); for the rs2523405 GG genotype relative to the TT genotype, the OR was 0.40 (95% CI = 0.15-1.04, P = 0.06); and for the rs2523393 GG genotype relative to the AA genotype, the OR was 0.27 (95% CI = 0.09-0.78, P = 0.01). In addition to comparing the HLA-F genotypes by a standard likelihood-ratio test, a trend test based on the number of G or A alleles were also performed. The HLA-F genotypes associated with longer time-to-pregnancy in these tests were as follows: number of A alleles at rs1362126 (P = 0.01), the OR was 0.56 per A allele (95% CI = 0.35-0.89); number of G alleles at rs2523405 (P = 0.05), OR was 0.65 per G allele (95% CI = 0.42-1.00); and number of G alleles at rs2523393 (P = 0.01), OR was 0.56 per G allele (95% CI = 0.36-0.86). On average, for the rs1362126 SNP, 2.1 more treatment cycles for a woman who carried the AA genotype were needed to achieve pregnancy within the first eight treatment cycles compared with a woman who carried the GG genotype. Likewise, for the rs2523405 SNP, 1.8 more cycles for the GG genotype compared with the TT genotype were needed, and for the rs2523393 SNP, 2.2 more treatment cycles for a woman who carried the GG genotype compared with a woman who carried the AA genotype were needed. Adjustments for the covariates BMI, female age, IVF (yes/no for each cycle), ICSI (yes/no for each cycle), female factor (yes/no) and male factor (yes/no), were also performed modeling the cycle-specific probabilities and the genotypes remained significant and almost unchanged. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: Specific types of ART will be chosen from the start of treatment, which means that the chances of achieving pregnancy could differ between the women solely due to their first line of treatment. However, multivariate analyses are performed to adjust for type of ART treatment. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: To our knowledge, this is the first study that shows associations between, and implications of, HLA-F gene locus variation and time-to-pregnancy and pregnancy success in a clinical setting for fertility treatment/ART. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S): Supported by the Region Zealand Health Sciences Research foundation and by Zealand University Hospital through the ReproHealth Research Consortium ZUH. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Soluble HLA-G and TGF-ß in couples attending assisted reproduction - A possible role of TGF-ß isoforms in semen?

Soluble isoforms of the non-classical Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA)-G as well as Transforming Growth Factor (TGF)-ß is expressed in seminal plasma possibly influencing the pregnancy potential. We wanted to examine the association of seminal plasma sHLA-G, TGF-ß1, TGF-ß2 and TGFß3 with pregnancy success in a cohort of 127 couples and 4 single women attending fertility treatment with the use of assisted reproduction technologies (ART). Soluble HLA-G, TGF-ß1, TGF-ß2 and TGF-ß3 in seminal plasma did not fluctuate significantly over time. We did not find any impact of seminal plasma sHLA-G, TGF-ß1, TGF-ß2 and TGF-ß3 on time-to-pregnancy measured as number of treatment cycles. There was a significant association between concentrations of seminal plasma sHLA-G and HLA-G variations in the 3'untranslated region (3'UTR) of the HLA-G gene, supporting and extending previous findings. Furthermore, by comparing seminal plasma concentrations of sHLA-G, TGF-ß1, TGF-ß2 and TGF-ß3 in male subjects with reduced semen quality, male subjects with normal semen quality, and sperm donors, we found that TGF-ß2 was significantly lower, and TGF-ß3 was significantly higher, in seminal plasma from sperm donors. These findings suggest that TGF-ß isoforms may influence semen quality and fertility.

Soluble human leukocyte antigen-G in seminal plasma is associated with HLA-G genotype: possible implications for fertility success.

PROBLEM: We have previously shown that human seminal plasma contains immunomodulatory soluble HLA-G (sHLA-G). We investigated whether sHLA-G levels in seminal plasma are associated with a specific 14 base pair (bp) insertion/deletion (ins/del) polymorphism in the 3'-untranslated region of the HLA-G gene and/or with the outcome of assisted reproduction treatments (ART) in couples attending a fertility clinic. METHOD OF STUDY: In a total of 54 unselected couples, sHLA-G levels were measured in seminal plasma samples and blood samples, HLA-G genotyping was performed, and clinical data were collected. RESULTS: The concentration of sHLA-G in seminal plasma samples was significantly associated with the HLA-G 14 bp ins/del genotype of the men; the del14 bp/del14 bp genotype showed the highest level of sHLA-G, and the ins14 bp/ins14 bp genotype showed the lowest level (P = 0.003). We observed a trend for higher seminal plasma levels of sHLA-G/total protein and total sHLA-G in cases with reduced semen quality, where the female partner became pregnant after ART, compared with those couples in which no pregnancy was achieved. CONCLUSION: These first results are in accordance with a possible role of seminal sHLA-G as an immunomodulatory factor in the female reproductive tract before and at the time of conception.