Inborn errors of immunity

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Inborn errors of immunity (IEI) are genetic mutations that result in an increased susceptibility to infectious disease, autoinflammatory disease, allergy, or autoimmunity. Inborn errors include, but are not limited to, primary immunodeficiencies. [1] As of 2020, there are 431 identified inborn errors of immunity. [2]

Contents

Types

As of 2020, there are 431 IEIs, [2] which are divided into three categories: [3]

Causes

A variety of mutations can cause inborn errors of immunity. These include loss of function, gain of function, and loss of expression. [1]

Epidemiology

IEIs were historically considered very rare, affecting only 1 in 10,000 – 50,000 births. As more IEIs are described and clinical phenotypes are defined more precisely, their true prevalence may be more common. More recent estimates place prevalence at 1 in 1,000 – 5,000 births. [1]

History

The first human IEI described was epidermodysplasia verruciformis in 1946, [3] with the first primary immunodeficiency (X-linked agammaglobulinemia) described in 1952. [4]

In 1973, the World Health Organization (WHO) established the Inborn Errors of Immunity Committee for the purpose of classifying and identifying immune defects in humans. In the 1990s, the WHO decided to focus on more common disease, and the committee was taken on by the International Union of Immunological Societies. This relationship was made official in 2008. [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Autoimmunity</span> Immune response against an organisms own healthy cells

In immunology, autoimmunity is the system of immune responses of an organism against its own healthy cells, tissues and other normal body constituents. Any disease resulting from this type of immune response is termed an "autoimmune disease". Prominent examples include celiac disease, diabetes mellitus type 1, Henoch–Schönlein purpura, systemic lupus erythematosus, Sjögren syndrome, eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, Graves' disease, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, Addison's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, polymyositis, dermatomyositis, and multiple sclerosis. Autoimmune diseases are very often treated with steroids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Severe combined immunodeficiency</span> Genetic disorder leading to severe impairment of the immune system

Severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), also known as Swiss-type agammaglobulinemia, is a rare genetic disorder characterized by the disturbed development of functional T cells and B cells caused by numerous genetic mutations that result in differing clinical presentations. SCID involves defective antibody response due to either direct involvement with B lymphocytes or through improper B lymphocyte activation due to non-functional T-helper cells. Consequently, both "arms" of the adaptive immune system are impaired due to a defect in one of several possible genes. SCID is the most severe form of primary immunodeficiencies, and there are now at least nine different known genes in which mutations lead to a form of SCID. It is also known as the bubble boy disease and bubble baby disease because its victims are extremely vulnerable to infectious diseases and some of them, such as David Vetter, have become famous for living in a sterile environment. SCID is the result of an immune system so highly compromised that it is considered almost absent.

In biology, immunity is the state of being insusceptible or resistant to a noxious agent or process, especially a pathogen or infectious disease. Immunity may occur naturally or be produced by prior exposure or immunization.

Immunodeficiency, also known as immunocompromisation, is a state in which the immune system's ability to fight infectious diseases and cancer is compromised or entirely absent. Most cases are acquired ("secondary") due to extrinsic factors that affect the patient's immune system. Examples of these extrinsic factors include HIV infection and environmental factors, such as nutrition. Immunocompromisation may also be due to genetic diseases/flaws such as SCID.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myeloperoxidase deficiency</span> Medical condition

Myeloperoxidase deficiency is a disorder featuring lack in either the quantity or the function of myeloperoxidase–an iron-containing protein expressed primarily in neutrophil granules. There are two types of myeloperoxidase deficiency: primary/inherited and secondary/acquired. Lack of functional myeloperoxidase leads to less efficient killing of intracellular pathogens, particularly Candida albicans, as well as less efficient production and release of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) from the neutrophils to trap and kill extracellular pathogens. Despite these characteristics, more than 95% of individuals with myeloperoxidase deficiency experience no symptoms in their lifetime. For those who do experience symptoms, the most common symptom is frequent infections by Candida albicans. Individuals with myeloperoxidase deficiency also experience higher rates of chronic inflammatory conditions. Myeloperoxidase deficiency is diagnosed using flow cytometry or cytochemical stains. There is no treatment for myeloperoxidase deficiency itself. Rather, in the rare cases that individuals experience symptoms, these infections should be treated.

Following infection with HIV-1, the rate of clinical disease progression varies between individuals. Factors such as host susceptibility, genetics and immune function, health care and co-infections as well as viral genetic variability may affect the rate of progression to the point of needing to take medication in order not to develop AIDS.

Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is an inborn immune disorder characterized by recurrent infections and low antibody levels, specifically in immunoglobulin (Ig) types IgG, IgM, and IgA. Symptoms generally include high susceptibility to pathogens, chronic lung disease, as well as inflammation and infection of the gastrointestinal tract.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency</span> Medical condition

X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency (X-SCID) is an immunodeficiency disorder in which the body produces very few T cells and NK cells.

Primary immunodeficiencies are disorders in which part of the body's immune system is missing or does not function normally. To be considered a primary immunodeficiency (PID), the immune deficiency must be inborn, not caused by secondary factors such as other disease, drug treatment, or environmental exposure to toxins. Most primary immunodeficiencies are genetic disorders; the majority are diagnosed in children under the age of one, although milder forms may not be recognized until adulthood. While there are over 430 recognized inborn errors of immunity (IEIs) as of 2019, the vast majority of which are PIDs, most are very rare. About 1 in 500 people in the United States are born with a primary immunodeficiency. Immune deficiencies can result in persistent or recurring infections, auto-inflammatory disorders, tumors, and disorders of various organs. There are currently limited treatments available for these conditions; most are specific to a particular type of PID. Research is currently evaluating the use of stem cell transplants (HSCT) and experimental gene therapies as avenues for treatment in limited subsets of PIDs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis</span> Immune disorder in the blood leading to hyperinflammation

In hematology, hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), also known as haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, and hemophagocytic or haemophagocytic syndrome, is an uncommon hematologic disorder seen more often in children than in adults. It is a life-threatening disease of severe hyperinflammation caused by uncontrolled proliferation of benign lymphocytes and macrophages that secrete high amounts of inflammatory cytokines. It is classified as one of the cytokine storm syndromes. There are inherited and non-inherited (acquired) causes of HLH.

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The International Union of Immunological Societies (IUIS), a member of the International Council for Science, is an organization which serves as an umbrella organization for many national and regionally grouped immunological societies. The organization was founded in 1969. The ten founding member societies were the American Association of Immunologists, British Society for Immunology, Canadian Society for Immunology, Dutch Society for Immunology, Gesellschaft fur Immunologie, Israel Immunological Society, Polish Society of Immunology, Scandinavian Society for Immunology, Societe Francaise d’immunologie, and Yugoslav Immunological Society. IUIS had 83 member societies in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Humoral immune deficiency</span> Medical condition

Humoral immune deficiencies are conditions which cause impairment of humoral immunity, which can lead to immunodeficiency. It can be mediated by insufficient number or function of B cells, the plasma cells they differentiate into, or the antibody secreted by the plasma cells. The most common such immunodeficiency is inherited selective IgA deficiency, occurring between 1 in 100 and 1 in 1000 persons, depending on population. They are associated with increased vulnerability to infection, but can be difficult to detect in the absence of infection.

Mendelian susceptibility to mycobacterial disease (MSMD) is a rare genetic disease. It is a primary immunodeficiency featured by molecular defects in IL12/IFNγ dependent signalling pathway, leading to increased susceptibility to local or disseminated infections by environmental mycobacteria, Mycobacterium bovis Bacille Calmette-Guerin strain, nontyphoidal and typhoidal Salmonella serotypes.

Nuclear factor-kappa B Essential Modulator (NEMO) deficiency syndrome is a rare type of primary immunodeficiency disease that has a highly variable set of symptoms and prognoses. It mainly affects the skin and immune system but has the potential to affect all parts of the body, including the lungs, urinary tract and gastrointestinal tract. It is a monogenetic disease caused by mutation in the IKBKG gene. NEMO is the modulator protein in the IKK inhibitor complex that, when activated, phosphorylates the inhibitor of the NF-κB transcription factors allowing for the translocation of transcription factors into the nucleus.

An innate immune defect is a defect in the innate immune response that blunts the response to infection. These defects may occur in monocytes, neutrophils, natural killer cells, basophils, mast cells or complement proteins.

Catherine Blish is a translational immunologist and professor at Stanford University. Her lab works on clinical immunology and focuses primarily on the role of the innate immune system in fighting infectious diseases like HIV, dengue fever, and influenza. Her immune cell biology work characterizes the biology and action of Natural Killer (NK) cells and macrophages.

Maria Vanessa Sancho Shimizu is a UKRI Future Leaders Fellow and Reader in the sections of Paediatrics Infectious Diseases and Virology investigating the human genetic basis of life-threatening infections.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Tangye, Stuart G.; Al-Herz, Waleed; Bousfiha, Aziz; Chatila, Talal; Cunningham-Rundles, Charlotte; Etzioni, Amos; Franco, Jose Luis; Holland, Steven M.; Klein, Christoph; Morio, Tomohiro; Ochs, Hans D.; Oksenhendler, Eric; Picard, Capucine; Puck, Jennifer; Torgerson, Troy R. (2020). "Human Inborn Errors of Immunity: 2019 Update on the Classification from the International Union of Immunological Societies Expert Committee". Journal of Clinical Immunology. 40 (1): 24–64. doi:10.1007/s10875-019-00737-x. ISSN   0271-9142. PMC   7082301 . PMID   31953710.
  2. 1 2 Notarangelo, Luigi D.; Bacchetta, Rosa; Casanova, Jean Laurent; Su, Helen C. (2020). "Human inborn errors of immunity: An expanding universe". Science Immunology. 5 (49): eabb1662. doi:10.1126/sciimmunol.abb1662. PMC   7647049 . PMID   32651211.
  3. 1 2 Casanova, Jean-Laurent; Abel, Laurent (2021). "Lethal Infectious Diseases as Inborn Errors of Immunity: Toward a Synthesis of the Germ and Genetic Theories". Annual Review of Pathology: Mechanisms of Disease. 16: 23–50. doi: 10.1146/annurev-pathol-031920-101429 . PMC   7923385 . PMID   32289233.
  4. Casanova, Laurent; Casanova, Jean-Laurent (2005). "Inborn errors of immunity to infection". Journal of Experimental Medicine. 202 (2): 197–201. doi:10.1084/jem.20050854. PMC   2212996 . PMID   16027233.
  5. "Inborn Errors of Immunity Committee (IEI)". International Union of Immunological Societies. 22 July 2019. Retrieved 11 July 2020.