title: Replication study of STAT4 rs7574865 G/T polymorphism and risk of rheumatoid arthritis in a Chinese population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) are common systemic autoimmune diseases with genetic and environmental predisposing factors. Signal transducer and activator of transcription 4 (STAT4) transmits signals induced by interleukin-12, interleukin-23 and interferon-γ, which are key cytokines and play important roles in the development of autoimmune diseases. Previous studies confirmed the STAT4 rs7574865 G/T locus to be associated with RA. Thus we conducted a replication study to investigate STAT4 rs7574865 G/T polymorphism and RA/AS susceptibility in a Chinese population.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied STAT4 rs7574865 G/T gene polymorphism in 520 patients with RA, 100 AS patients and 520 controls in a Chinese population. Genotyping was done using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS).
  
  
  RESULTS
  When the STAT4 rs7574865 GG homozygote genotype was used as the reference group, the GT or GT/TT genotypes were associated with the risk for RA. After stratification analyses, a significantly increased risk for RA associated with the STAT4 rs7574865 GT genotype was evident among the rheumatoid factor (RF)-positive patients, patients with higher erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) level and patients with higher RA disease activity score (DAS28) compared with the STAT4 rs7574865 GG genotype. A significantly increased risk for RA associated with the STAT4 rs7574865 TT genotype was evident among older patients and RF-negative patients compared with the STAT4 rs7574865 GG genotype. STAT4 rs7574865 G/T was not associated with susceptibility to AS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This replication study confirmed that STAT4 rs7574865 G/T polymorphism was associated with the risk of RA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  STAT4 polymorphisms are associated with rheumatoid arthritis risk.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory, Changzhou First People's Hospital, Changzhou 213003, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Ruiping
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Rongbin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Peifu
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000483:Alleles; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000235:genetics*; D044466:Asian People / Q000235:genetics*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002681:China; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D012306:Risk; D050797:STAT4 Transcription Factor / Q000235:genetics*; D013167:Spondylitis, Ankylosing / Q000235:genetics; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D050797:STAT4 Transcription Factor
keywords: Ankylosing spondylitis; CI; LD; Molecular epidemiology; OR; Polymorphisms; Rheumatoid arthritis; SNP; STAT4; confidence interval; linkage disequilibrium; odds ratio; signal transducer and activator of transcription 4; single nucleotide polymorphism