Association of Human Immunoglobulin G1 Heavy Chain Variants with Neutralization Capacity and Antibody-Dependent Cellular Cytotoxicity Against Human Cytomegalovirus

Abstract

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection is limited by HCMV-specific antibody functions. Here the association between the genetic marker (GM) 3/17 variants in the immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1) heavy chain constant region, virus neutralization, and natural killer (NK)-cell activation was investigated. In 100 HCMV-seropositive individuals, the GM3/17 polymorphism, serum 50% HCMV antibody neutralization titer (NT50), and in vitro HCMV-specific antibody NK-cell activation were assessed. The HCMV NT50 was higher in heterozygous GM3/17 persons than in GM3/3 persons (P =. 0276). Furthermore, individuals expressing GM3/17 exhibited significantly higher NK-cell activation than persons carrying GM3/3 (P