title: Functional MICA-129 polymorphism and serum levels of soluble MICA are correlated with ulcerative colitis in Chinese patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the present study was to evaluate the contribution of the dimorphism (MICA-129 val and met) to the genetic susceptibility and functions of ulcerative colitis (UC) in patients in central China.
  
  
  METHODS
  Genotyping of MICA-129 was performed in 272 consecutive UC patients and 560 age- and sex-matched healthy individuals by using a polymerase chain reaction-sequencing based typing (PCR-SBT) method. A total of 93 patients and 98 healthy individuals serum soluble MICA (sMICA) concentrations were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both the frequencies of the variant allele (val) and genotype (val/val) in the MICA-129 gene were significantly higher in UC patients than in the controls (77.4% vs 71.7%, P = 0.015, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.064-1.716; 56.9% vs 46.4%, P = 0.005, 95% CI: 1.142-2.047). Serum sMICA levels were significantly higher in UC patients than in the controls (560 ± 140 pg/mL vs 157 ± 67 pg/mL, P < 0.0001). The genotype also affected the extent and the activity of UC. Furthermore, patients with the MICA-129 val/val genotype had higher serum sMICA levels than those with the val/met + met/met genotype (661 ± 352 SD pg/mL vs 523 ± 245 SD pg/mL, 95% CI: 13.47-265.35, P = 0.03). In addition, patients with severe colitis were more susceptible to higher levels of sMICA than those with mild colitis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings showed that the MICA-129 gene polymorphism as a functionally relevant gene was associated with UC and seems to play a potential role in the development of UC in patients in central China.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Wuhan University Zhongnan Hospital, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lei
authors.forename: Kaifang
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zou
authors.forename: Changgao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Sha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Fengming
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yi
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Xia
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D044466:Asian People / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000097:blood / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010641:Phenotype; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I; C099187:MHC class I-related chain A