Association of autophagy-related IRGM polymorphisms with latent versus active tuberculosis infection in a Chinese population

The autophagy-related immunity-related GTPase family M protein, IRGM, plays an important role in the defense against tuberculosis (TB) infection. IRGM polymorphisms are associated with TB infection susceptibility, and recent studies demonstrate host genetic differences between active and latent TB. Here, we investigated the association between IRGM polymorphisms and TB infection type in a Chinese population. We recruited 268 and 321 patients with confirmed or latent TB, respectively, and 475 TB-free healthy controls. Three single nucleotide polymorphisms, rs10065172, rs10051924, and rs13361189 within IRGM were genotyped using TaqMan-based assays. Interferon-gamma release levels were tested by T-SPOT. rs10065172 (P = 0.024, OR 0.67 (95% CI 0.48-0.95)), rs10051924 (P = 0.01, OR 0.64 (95% CI 0.46-0.90)), and rs13361189 (P = 0.055, OR 0.72 (95% CI 0.51-1.01)) were associated with a protective role against latent TB progression. Haplotype analysis showed that TCC was protective for latent TB (P = 0.022, OR 0.74 (95% CI 0.57-0.96)) whereas TTC conferred a higher risk of active TB. Additionally, patients with the rs10065172 TT genotype had a higher response to TB specific antigens. Thus, IRGM polymorphism differences between latent and active TB suggests that genetic differences in autophagy might partly affect host TB infection status.