Polymorphisms of interferon gamma gene and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in Korean patients with chronic hepatitis B viral infection.
OBJECTIVE
Increasing evidence supports the contribution of the pro-/anti-inflammatory cytokine balance and genetic factors to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here, we investigated whether genetic interferon gamma polymorphisms were associated with HCC in Korean patients with chronic hepatitis B.


METHODS
We genotyped a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP, rs2430561, +874A/T) and a microsatellite (rs3138557, (CA) (n) repeat), located in the first intron of the interferon gamma gene, by direct sequencing and the gene scan method. A population-based case-control study of HCC was conducted and included 170 patients with chronic hepatitis and HCC, and 171 with chronic hepatitis B patients without hepatocellular carcinoma in a Korean population.


RESULTS
Genotype and allele distributions of the interferon gamma gene SNP were associated with HCC. The frequencies of the AA genotype and the A allele were significantly increased in hepatocellular carcinoma subjects (p < 0.05). Combined analysis using the genotype of rs2430561 and the number of microsatellites revealed that the frequencies of AT-CA12, and TT-CA12 increased significantly in hepatocellular carcinoma subjects (p < 0.0001).


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that the interferon gamma gene may be a susceptibility gene and a risk factor for HCC in the Korean population.
Hak-Jae
HJ
Kim
Joo-Ho
JH
Chung
Hyun Phil
HP
Shin
Jung Won
JW
Jeon
Jae Jun
JJ
Park
Jae Myung
JM
Cha
Kwang Ro
KR
Joo
Joung Il
JI
Lee
D044466:Asian People / Q000235:genetics*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005787:Gene Frequency; D056726:Genetic Association Studies; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000150:complications* / Q000208:ethnology; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000235:genetics*; D007438:Introns; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats; D010641:Phenotype; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors
C573415:IFNG protein, human; D007371:Interferon-gamma