title: Mannose-binding lectin gene polymorphisms are not associated with susceptibility to hepatitis C virus infection in the Brazilian Amazon region.
abstract: The present study compares the genotype frequencies between two population groups composed by 73 hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients and 92 seronegative controls and investigates the role of allele variants as a possible factor in the susceptibility to HCV infection and the influence on disease progression. The identification of MBL*B and MBL*C alleles was performed by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of the 349-bp product using BanI and MboII restriction enzymes, respectively, and a polymerase chain reaction-sequence-specific polymorphism for discrimination of MBL*D. The analysis of allele and genotype frequencies between an HCV-infected group and seronegative controls did not indicate significant differences. The comparison of chronically infected subjects with and without liver cirrhosis was also not statistically significant. The odds ratio estimations were not significant, and the values obtained cannot suggest that the presence of allele variant MBL*B could have some influence in the risk of HCV infection progression to liver cirrhosis and that the presence of allele MBL*D could confer some protection against disease progression, but a larger sample size is necessary to confirm the present results.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal do Pará, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Laboratório de Virologia, 66075-900 Belém, PA, Brazil. vallinoto@ufpa.br
authors.forename: Antonio C R
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Vallinoto
authors.forename: Renato F Pinheiroda
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.forename: Renata B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Hermes
authors.forename: Ivanete S A
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Amaral
authors.forename: Esther Castello Branco M
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Miranda
authors.forename: Maria Silvia de Brito
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Barbosa
authors.forename: Lizomar de Jesus Pereira
authors.initials: Lde J
authors.lastname: Moia
authors.forename: Simone R S
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Conde
authors.forename: Manoel do Carmo Pereira
authors.initials: Mdo C
authors.lastname: Soares
authors.forename: José Alexandre R
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Lemos
authors.forename: Luiz Fernando Almeida
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Machado
authors.forename: Marluísa O G
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Ishak
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ishak
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000483:Alleles; D001938:Brazil; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000276:immunology* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D037601:Mannose-Binding Lectin / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D008875:Middle Aged; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D012307:Risk Factors; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D037601:Mannose-Binding Lectin