title: Variants within STAT genes reveal association with anticitrullinated protein antibody-negative rheumatoid arthritis in 2 European populations.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  STAT3 and 4 are, among other factors, critical for the interleukin 12 (IL-12)-mediated Th1 response, for transfer of IL-23 signals, and for survival and expansion of Th17 cells. We investigated the association of STAT3 and STAT4 polymorphisms with serologically distinct subgroups of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 41 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) within STAT3 and STAT1-STAT4 loci were investigated in a Swedish cohort of 2043 RA cases and 1115 controls. Nine of the associated SNP were tested in a Spanish cohort of 1223 RA cases and 1090 controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fourteen SNP in the STAT3 and STAT1-STAT4 loci were associated with anticitrullinated protein antibody (ACPA)-negative RA in the Swedish cohort. Three of the SNP in STAT4 and 2 SNP in STAT3 remained associated with ACPA-negative RA after considering the Spanish results. In addition, rs7574865 and rs10181656, in STAT4, were associated with ACPA-positive RA in the Swedish study. One of these SNP, rs7574865, showed a similar pattern of the association in serologically distinct subgroups of RA in a metaanalysis of all 7 published studies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that variants in STAT genes may contribute differentially to susceptibility to RA in seropositive and in seronegative patients.
authors: Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. maria.seddighzadeh@ki.se
authors: Maria
authors: M
authors: Seddighzadeh
authors: Antonio
authors: A
authors: Gonzalez
authors: Bo
authors: B
authors: Ding
authors: Aida
authors: A
authors: Ferreiro-Iglesias
authors: Juan J
authors: JJ
authors: Gomez-Reino
authors: Lars
authors: L
authors: Klareskog
authors: Lars
authors: L
authors: Alfredsson
authors: Kyri
authors: K
authors: Dunussi-Joannopoulos
authors: James D
authors: JD
authors: Clark
authors: Leonid
authors: L
authors: Padyukov
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic / Q000276:immunology*; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D050791:STAT Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics*; D044465:White People / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D010456:Peptides, Cyclic; D050791:STAT Transcription Factors; C487763:cyclic citrullinated peptide