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C21orf91 gene associated with HSV-1 frequency
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Researchers from the University of Utah School of Medicine and the University of Massachusetts Medical School identified an association between herpes simplex virus type 1 and the C21orf91 gene on chromosome 21.
“While these findings await confirmation in a larger, unrelated population, these findings could have important implications for the development of new drugs that affect determinants of the cold sore phenotype,” the researchers wrote.
John D. Kriesel, MD, and colleagues set out to identify genes in the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) susceptibility region and discovered the C21orf91 gene for susceptibility to herpes simplex labialis, or the common cold sore. The study included genome-wide, family-based linkage studies of 618 participants from 43 large families.
A positive association was found between the frequency of HSV-1 and two single nucleotide polymorphisms within the C21orf91 region, according to the researchers. Further, with the use of parental transmission disequilibrium testing, a significant association was found between a second C21orf91 single nucleotide polymorphism and frequent herpes simplex labialis (P=.0047).
“If the findings regarding the C21orf91 gene are confirmed, additional research may then begin to determine possible therapeutic applications and whether the same gene also plays a role in recurring genital herpes,” Anthony L. Cunningham, MD, and David Booth, MD, of the Center for Virus Research and the Institute of Immunology and Allergy Research at Westmead Millennium Institute and the University of Sydney in Australia, wrote in an accompanying editorial.
For more information:
- Cunningham AL. J Infect Dis. 2011;doi:10.1093/infdis/jir635.
- Kriesel JD. J Infect Dis. 2011;doi:10.1093/infdis/jir633.
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