CD209 and tuberculosis: Whereas other studies support that the -336A/G has a protective effect against TB infection in sub-Saharan Africa [56], CD209-encoded DC-SIGN is a MTB receptor on DCs and previous in vitro studies have shown that -336G alleles can result in downregulated CD209 mRNA expression, which means the -336G variant has lower basal expression of CD209 when compared to the -336A ancestral allele, so a decrease in DC-SIGN receptor levels may have a protective effect on most TB; conversely, MTB may subvert the immune response by the DC-SIGN receptor [54].