title: Influence of the STAT3 genetic variants in the susceptibility to psoriatic arthritis and Behcet's disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Signal-transducer and activator of transcription protein 3 (STAT3) gene encodes a transducer and transcription factor that plays an important role in many cellular processes such as cell growth, apoptosis and immune response. Several STAT3 genetic variants have been associated to different autoimmune diseases. Our aim was to reveal the possible STAT3 influence in other immune-mediated diseases such as psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and Behcet disease (BD).
  
  
  METHODS
  The STAT3 rs744166 and rs2293152 polymorphisms were genotyped using predesigned TaqMan® assays in a total of 335 PsA patients, 217 BD patients, and 1844 ethnically matched healthy controls of Spanish Caucasian origin.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A statistically significant association of the STAT3 rs744166(∗)G allele with PsA was observed (P-value=1.36×10(-3), OR 1.35). The detected effect was more evident when the rs744166(∗)GG homozygote frequencies were compared between PsA patients and controls (genotype P-value=9.77×10(-5), OR 1.82). In contrast, the allele and genotypic distributions of rs744166 polymorphism showed no significant differences between patients with BD and control subjects (allelic P-value=0.80, OR 1.03). Additionally, no evidence of association was detected between the rs2293152 genetic variant and both studied diseases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest for the first time that the STAT3 gene might be involved in PsA but not in Behcet's disease predisposition.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina López-Neyra, CSIC, Granada, Spain. mccenit@ipb.csic.es
authors.forename: María Carmen
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Cénit
authors.forename: Norberto
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ortego-Centeno
authors.forename: Enrique
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Raya
authors.forename: José L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Callejas
authors.forename: Francisco J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: García-Hernandez
authors.forename: María Jesús
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Castillo-Palma
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Fernandez-Sueiro
authors.forename: Cesar
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Magro
authors.forename: Roser
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Solans
authors.forename: Santos
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Castañeda
authors.forename: Maite
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Camps
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hidalgo
authors.forename: Gerard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Espinosa
authors.forename: Miguel A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: González-Gay
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: González-Escribano
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Martín
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D015535:Arthritis, Psoriatic / Q000235:genetics*; D001528:Behcet Syndrome / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor