title: A tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) promoter polymorphism is associated with chronic hepatitis B infection.
abstract: Cytokines such as TNF-alpha and interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) are important for the elimination of infected hepatocytes during acute hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Two G versus A transitions in the TNF-alpha promoter region at positions -308 and -238 possibly influence TNF-alpha expression. We investigated these TNF-alpha polymorphisms in 71 patients with chronic HBV infection, in 32 subjects that had spontaneously recovered from acute HBV infection, and in 99 healthy controls. The -238 A promoter variant was present in 18 (25%) of 71 patients with chronic HBV infection compared with two (6%) of 32 subjects with acute infection (P<0.04), and seven (7%) of 99 controls (P<0.003). By contrast, the prevalence of the variant at position -308 was similar in all investigated groups. The observed differences could not be explained by linkage disequilibrium to HLA-B or -DRB1* alleles. These findings suggest an association between the TNF-alpha promoter polymorphism at position -238 and the development of chronic HBV infection. This promoter variant appears to be linked to defective viral clearance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Höhler
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kruger
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gerken
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Meyer zum Büschenefelde
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rittner
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D005838:Genotype; D006515:Hepatitis B virus; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D015810:Linkage Disequilibrium; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha