title: Closed tube method for rapid screening of IL28B polymorphisms involved in response to hepatitis C treatment.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus. Interferon and ribavirin combination therapy has been a standard treatment of chronic hepatitis C. But only about 50% of patients have positive response to treatment and achieve so called sustained virological response. Recent studies indicate association of several single nucleotide polymorphisms near IL28B gene and response of hepatitis C patients to combined interferon/ribavirin treatment. In this study, rapid, specific and cost-effective small amplicon genotyping method for the two clinically important polymorphisms, rs12979860 C > T and rs8099917 T > G, near the IL28B gene is described.
  
  
  METHODS
  The distribution of genotypes of 181 HCV-uninfected Slovak Caucasians was analyzed using this novel method, based on a real-time melting analysis of the small amplicon.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The frequency of wild-type (TT) homozygotes for rs8099917 was 66.30%, frequency of heterozygotes (TG) was 30.94% and we found only 2.76% subjects homozygous for risk G allele (allelic frequencies: T = 81.77%, G = 18.23%) were found. The frequency of wild-type genotype (CC) for rs12979860 was 49.72%, frequencies of heterozygous (CT) and risk-allele homozygous genotypes (TT) were 39.78% and 10.50%, respectively (allele frequencies: C = 69.61%, T = 30.39%). Statistically significant differences in the distribution of the alleles between the men and the women were not found. The novel method developed in our laboratory proved to be simple and highly customizable.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Biology, Medical Faculty, PJ Safarik University, Tr SNP 1, 040 66 Kosice, Slovak Republic.
authors.forename: Viera
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Habalová
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Klimčáková
authors.forename: Jozef
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Židzik
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vasovčák
authors.forename: Pavol
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kristian
authors.forename: Ivana
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Valková
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Schréter
authors.forename: Ján
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Šalagovič
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000483:Alleles; D005260:Female; D005820:Genetic Testing; D005838:Genotype; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D006579:Heterozygote; D006720:Homozygote; D006801:Humans; D007372:Interferons; D007378:Interleukins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D000095022:Interferon Lambda
chemical_list: D007372:Interferons; D007378:Interleukins; C000624353:interferon-lambda, human; D000095022:Interferon Lambda