title: Tumor necrosis factor gene polymorphisms in patients with cirrhosis from chronic hepatitis C virus infection.
abstract: Pro-inflammatory cytokines including tumour necrosis factor (TNF) mediate the pathogenesis of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The distribution of TNF gene polymorphisms was examined among cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic patients infected with HCV. Thirty Caucasians with cirrhosis due to chronic HCV infection and 114 HCV-infected patients histopathologically free of cirrhosis were genotyped for genetic variants in TNF, lymphotoxin alpha and TNF-receptor type I using PCR-based techniques. Variability in the progression of HCV-related cirrhosis was assessed in a multivariate model including genetic and non-genetic factors such as gender, estimated duration of infection, alcohol consumption, and viral genotype. Viral genotype and non-genetic host features were not independently related to the occurrence or rate of development of cirrhosis in the patient population. In contrast, the TNF promoter variants TNF2 (-238A) and TNF3 (-308A) conferred a 3.2-fold and 5.1-fold risk of cirrhosis respectively (P = 0.03 for both). Reciprocal effects were observed with several TNF alleles and haplotypes defined by the -238G/A and -308G/A dimorphic sequences. Polymorphisms in the TNF alpha promoter appear to be associated with variability in the histological severity of chronic hepatitis C infection.
authors.affiliation: Program on the Epidemiology of Infection and Immunity, Department of Epidemiology and International Health, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294-0007, USA.
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Yee
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Herrera
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Kaslow
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: van Leeuwen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000483:Alleles; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000235:genetics; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D006239:Haplotypes; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000150:complications / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*; D008233:Lymphotoxin-alpha / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor / Q000235:genetics; D047888:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Type I; D020080:Tandem Repeat Sequences; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D015704:CD4 Antigens; D008233:Lymphotoxin-alpha; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor; D047888:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Type I; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha