Multiple Functional Donor Polymorphisms in IL1RL1 region Associate with Death Due to GvHD or Infection after Unrelated Donor Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HCT) for AML and MDS

Abstract The last two authors contributed equally Elevated soluble Stimulation-2 (sST2), the decoy IL-33 receptor, in plasma/serum post-HSCT is a biomarker for death due to GvHD. ST2 is the product of IL1RL1 (2q12.1) and this ~.5Mb region contains >300 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) significantly associated (P We measured plasma/serum sST2 levels in pre-HCT samples in a subset of AML and MDS patients (n=759) and their donors (n=757) from DISCOVeRY-BMT, a GWAS of >3,000 recipient-unrelated donor pairs reported to the CIBMTR between 2000-2011. After quality control (info>.8, MAF>.005), 3613 SNPs in the IL1RL1 region were tested for association with sST2 levels; 1541 donor SNPs associated with sST2 levels (P AIC multivariable models for GvHD-death included AML diagnosis, recipient obesity (>30 mg/kg2), peripheral blood cell source, donor age, rs1558645 (Pmeta=.001), and rs2310241(Pmeta=.0003), for which the risk alleles at each SNP increased risk of GvHD death ~1.5 fold. The model for infection-death included advanced disease at HCT, recipient/donor CMV status, peripheral blood cell source, rs13019803 (Pmeta=1.1 x 10-6), rs13015714 (Pmeta=5 x 10-4) and rs4851601 (Pmeta=2 x 10-6), with risk alleles at each SNP increasing risk of infection-death ~2-fold. To capture the total contribution of these donor variants to each outcome we created multi-allele models for GvHD-death (0-4 alleles) and infection-death (0-6 alleles).The multi-allele GvHD models showed a 1.5 fold increased risk of GvHD-death with each additional allele (Pmeta=3.4 x 10-6 ) (Figure 2). Individuals whose donors are homozygous for both risk alleles at each SNP have a ~3 fold, and ~2 fold higher risk of dying of GvHD versus those with zero, and 1-2 risk allele(s), respectively. The multi-allele infection models (0-6 alleles) show a ~2 fold increased risk of infection-death (Pmeta= 1.22 x 10-10) with each risk allele (Figure 2). sST2 is one of the most reproducible GvHD biomarkers to date. As hypothesized, specific alleles correlated with high sST2 levels in donors and with GvHD-death. Our novel finding is that some ST2 alleles associated with low sST2 levels correlated with infection-death. These results are not without precedent, for example the low-sST2 associated allele in rs13019803 (T) associates with higher mortality in the CHARGE consortium. The risk allele in rs13015714 (T) is significantly associated with lower IL1RL1 and IL18R1 (P= 5 x 10-10) gene expression in lung tissue, indicating biochemical functions for these SNPs. Importantly the non-risk allele in all 5 variants are common (>20%) across races and ethnicities, which means there is an opportunity to select donors without combinations of these variants and perhaps without the requirement of measuring the protein level pre-transplant. Download : Download high-res image (1MB) Download : Download full-size image Disclosures McCarthy: Karyopharm: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria; Bristol Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria. Lee: Kadmon: Research Funding; Amgen: Consultancy, Research Funding; Mallinckrodt: Honoraria; Incyte: Consultancy; Pfizer: Consultancy; Onyx: Research Funding; Takeda: Research Funding. Paczesny: Viracor IBT Laboratories: Patents & Royalties.