Comparative Assessment of the Immunologic and Genetic Status of Children Living in the Far North and the Perm Region

Abstract

Introduction: Life at high latitudes imbalances immuno-neuro-endocrine regulation in humans due to contrasting changes in the duration of the light period. Our objective was to study the immune and genetic status of children living in the Far North and the Perm Region. Materials and methods: We conducted a survey of 120 children of 3 to 12 living in the Far North, and 154 children of 7 to 18 living in the Perm Region with a normal alternation of day and night. In order to study the frequency of the PER2 circadian gene polymorphism (C/G, rs643159) a genetic analysis was performed by real-time PCR with a subsequent allelic discrimination. Results: The comparative analysis of the frequencies of alleles and genotypes of the PER2 clock gene polymorphism (rs643159) showed no significant differences in its polymorphism in the children's groups differing in climatic features. The results of an immunological study of the blood of children in the Arctic enabled us to establish changes in the immune status characterized by a significant (p < 0.05) decrease in class A immunoglobulins (1.26 times), M (1.14 times), G (1.15 times), mediators of neuroendocrine regulation of cortisol (1.33 times), serotonin (1.42 times), as well as overproduction of apoptosis activator CD3+CD95+ and TSH relative to the child contingent of Prikamye (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The comparative analysis of the status of regulatory mediators in the children living in the Far North with similar indicators of the child contingent of moderate latitudes (the Perm Region) – carriers of the mutant G allele of the clock receptor gene allowed us to establish not only a reliable imbalance in the immune status in children living under conditions of asynchronosis but also a significant deficit of the regulatory mediator of serotonin free T4 and increased levels of cortisol (p < 0.05) characterizing the breakdown of neuroregulatory connections. Thus, in the conditions of the Far North the imbalance of key indicators of immune homeostasis, neuroendocrine regulation, associated with the variant G allele of the gene PER2 (rs643159) is formed.