ABSTRACT
CD147 (BSG, EMMPRIN) is a multifunctional immunoglobulin involved in pathogenesis of many diseases. It was shown to facilitate various viral infections, such as measles virus and SARS-CoV-2, and was reported to have a role in cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. While mostly working as a membrane-bound protein, it can be released by cells in a soluble form that can be detected in serum. Our recent studies showed that CD147 polymorphism and serum level may be associated with risk and survival in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients. This prompted us to investigate CD147 serum levels and genotypes in AML patients with CMV infection after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT). CD147 was measured using Quantikine ELISA Human EMMPRIN/ CD147 Immunoassay in serum of 16 AML patients undergoing SCT, of whom nine developed CMV infection, and 25 controls. Genotyping of CD147 variants was performed on 170 DNA samples, including 135 healthy individuals and 35 patients (18 with CMV infection) using Taqman assays. Serum CD147 levels were higher in patients with CMV infection than in those without detectable CMV infection (p = 0.026) and controls (p < 0.001). CD147 allele rs4919859C, a marker of risk and worse survival in AML, tended to be more common in patients with CMV infection than those without infection (p = 0.094). Furthermore, we built a logistic regression model incorporating the type of conditioning, sex of transplant donor and recipient, type of donor (related/ unrelated), donor and recipient serologic CMV status, and presence/absence of the rs4919859 C allele. The analysis confirmed allele rs4919859 C (p = 0.044) and recipient CMV status (p = 0.035) as independent markers of CMV infection. Our results suggest that higher serum CD147 levels and presence of the CD147 rs4919859C allele may be markers of CMV infection in AML patients undergoing SCT.