title: The -173 G/C polymorphism of the MIF gene and inflammatory bowel disease risk: a meta-analysis.
abstract: The -173 G/C polymorphism in the macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) gene has been implicated in susceptibility to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but the results are inconclusive. The present meta-analysis aimed to investigate the overall association between the -173 G/C polymorphism and IBD risk. We searched in Pubmed, and Embase for studies evaluating the association between the -173G/C gene polymorphism and IBD risk. Data were extracted and statistical analysis was performed using Revman 5.1 and STATA 12.0 software. A total of seven publications involving 4729 subjects (2282 IBD cases and 2447 controls) were included in this meta-analysis. Combined analysis revealed a clear association between this polymorphism and IBD susceptibility (OR = 1.48, 95% CI: 1.10-2.00, p = 0.009 for CC vs. CG + GG). Subgroup analysis by ethnicity showed that the IBD risk associated with the -173G/C gene polymorphism was significantly elevated among Asians (OR = 1.79, 95% CI: 1.08-2.96, p = 0.02), but not among Caucasians. Subgroup analysis by disease suggested that the -173G/C gene polymorphism is a risk factor for ulcerative colitis (OR = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.10-2.37, p = 0.01), but that it was not associated with Crohn's disease. This meta-analysis suggests that the -173 G/C polymorphism in the macrophage MIF gene contributes to IBD susceptibility, specifically in Asian populations. Further studies are needed to validate these findings.
authors.affiliation: Division of Internal Medicine, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China. wenfuqiang_scu@126.com.
authors.forename: Yongchun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Shujin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Ting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Liuqun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: An
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Fuqiang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wen
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005787:Gene Frequency / Q000235:genetics; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000235:genetics*; D019746:Intramolecular Oxidoreductases / Q000235:genetics*; D008263:Macrophage Migration-Inhibitory Factors / Q000235:genetics*; D008957:Models, Genetic; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics*; D017594:Publication Bias; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D008263:Macrophage Migration-Inhibitory Factors; D019746:Intramolecular Oxidoreductases; C515598:MIF protein, human