[Single nucleotide polymorphism of STAT4 rs7574865 is associated with the susceptibility of primary biliary cirrhosis in Han population of partial regions of Jiangsu province].

Objective To investigate the correlation of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of signal transducer and activator of transcription 4 (STAT4) rs7574865 gene with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) in Han population of Jiangsu province. Methods The peripheral blood samples were collected from 138 inpatients with PBC and 116 unrelated healthy donors in the Third People's Hospital of Changzhou City in Jiangsu province. The STAT4 rs7574865 SNP was determined by polymerase chain reaction-sequence specific primer (PCR-SSP) assay. The distributions of genotype and allele frequencies in the two groups were analyzed by the Chi-squared test in order to identify whether rs7574865 was the susceptible locus of PBC. Then, the associations between rs7574865 and the serum levels of anti-mitochondrial antibody M2 (AMA-M2), anti-nuclear antibody (ANA), anti-Cenp B antibody, anti-GP210 antibody, anti-SP100 antibody in PBC were investigated. Results Three genotypes, GG, GT and TT, were found at position rs7574865 of STAT4. The TT genotype frequency in the PBC group (20.3%) was significantly higher than that in healthy controls (6.9%) and the odds rations (OR) value was 3.436. The T allele frequencies were 42.4% and 31.9% in the PBC group and healthy controls, respectively, and OR value was 1.571. There were no statistically differences between rs7574865 and the levels of serum autoantibodies in the patients with PBC. Conclusion STAT4 rs7574865 gene polymorphism is associated with the susceptibility of PBC in the Han population of Jiangsu province.