Cytokine polymorphisms play a role in susceptibility to ultraviolet B-induced modulation of immune responses after hepatitis B vaccination.

UVB exposure can alter immune responses in experimental animals and humans. In an earlier human volunteer study, we demonstrated that hepatitis B-specific humoral and cellular immunity after vaccination on average were not significantly affected by UVB exposure. However, it is known that individuals differ in their susceptibility to UVB-induced immunomodulation, and it was hypothesized that polymorphisms in specific cytokines may play a role in this susceptibility. In this respect, we previously demonstrated that immune responses after hepatitis B vaccination are influenced by the minor allelic variant of IL-1 beta in the general population. For all volunteers, single nucleotide polymorphisms were determined for the following UV response-related cytokines: IL-1 receptor antagonist (+2018), IL-1 alpha (+4845), IL-1 beta (+3953), TNF-alpha (-308), and TNF-alpha (-238). Exposure to UVB significantly suppressed Ab responses to hepatitis B in individuals with the minor variant for the IL-1 beta polymorphism. Increased minimal erythema dose values (just perceptible), which resulted in higher absolute UVB exposures, were observed in the same individuals. There were no associations observed between UVB-induced immunomodulation and the other cytokine polymorphisms examined. This study indicates that individual susceptibility to UVB radiation needs to be considered when studying the effects of UVB in humans.