title: Short mucin 6 alleles are associated with H pylori infection.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the relationship between mucin 6 (MUC6) VNTR length and H pylori infection.
  
  
  METHODS
  Blood samples were collected from patients visiting the Can Tho General Hospital for upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. DNA was isolated from whole blood, the repeated section was cut out using a restriction enzyme (Pvu II) and the length of the allele fragments was determined by Southern blotting. H pylori infection was diagnosed by (14)C urea breath test. For analysis, MUC6 allele fragment length was dichotomized as being either long (> 13.5 kbp) or short (< or = 13.5 kbp) and patients were classified according to genotype [long-long (LL), long-short (LS), short-short (SS)].
  
  
  RESULTS
  160 patients were studied (mean age 43 years, 36% were males, 58% H pylori positive). MUC6 Pvu II-restricted allele fragment lengths ranged from 7 to 19 kbp. Of the patients with the LL, LS, SS MUC6 genotype, 43% (24/56), 57% (25/58) and 76% (11/46) were infected with H pylori, respectively (P = 0.003).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Short MUC6 alleles are associated with H pylori infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Can Tho University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Viet Nam.
authors.forename: Thai V
authors.initials: TV
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.forename: Marcel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Janssen
authors.forename: Paulien
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gritters
authors.forename: René H M
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: te Morsche
authors.forename: Joost P H
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Drenth
authors.forename: Henri
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: van Asten
authors.forename: Robert J F
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Laheij
authors.forename: Jan B M J
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Jansen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000483:Alleles; D004247:DNA / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*; D053938:DNA Fragmentation; D005260:Female; D005819:Genetic Markers / Q000235:genetics; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018598:Minisatellite Repeats / Q000235:genetics; D055272:Mucin-6; D009077:Mucins / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D005819:Genetic Markers; C524734:MUC6 protein, human; D055272:Mucin-6; D009077:Mucins; D004247:DNA