title: Investigation of Monnose-Binding Lectin gene Polymorphism in Patients with Erythema Multiforme, Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and Stevens-Johnson Syndrome/Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis Overlap Syndrome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Monnose-Binding lectin (MBL) appears to play an important role in the immune system. The genetic polymorphisms in the MBL2 gene can result in a reduction of serum levels, leading to a predisposition to recurrent infection. The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of a polymorphism in codon 54 of the MBL2 gene on the susceptibility to Erythema Multiforme, Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and Stevens-Johnson Syndrome/Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis Overlap Syndrome (EM, SJS and SJS/TEN overlap syndrome).
  
  
  METHODS
  Our study included 64 patients who were clinically and/or histopathologically diagnosed with EM, SJS, and SJS/TEN overlap syndrome and 66 healthy control subjects who were genotyped for the MBL2 gene codon 54 polymorphism using the PCR-RFLP method. For all statistical analyses, the level of significance was set at p<0.05.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of the B allele was 18% in the EM, SJS and SJS/TEN patient groups and 13% in the control group. No significant differences in allele frequencies of any polymorphism were observed between the patient and control groups, although the B allele was more frequent in the patient groups (p=0.328).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results provide no evidence of a relationship between MBL2 gene codon 54 polymorphism and the susceptibility to EM, SJS and SJS/ TEN overlap syndrome. However, these findings should be confirmed in studies with a larger sample size.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Uludağ University, Bursa, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mutlu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karkucak
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, Uludağ University, Bursa, Turkey.
authors.forename: Emel Başkan
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Bülbül
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, Düzce University, Düzce, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hakan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Turan
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Uludağ University, Bursa, Turkey.
authors.forename: Tahsin
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yakut
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, Uludağ University, Bursa, Turkey.
authors.forename: Sevil
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Toka
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, Uludağ University, Bursa, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hayriye
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sarıcaoğlu
keywords: Erythema multiforme; MBL2 gene; Polymorphism; Stevens-Johnson syndrome; Stevens-Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis overlap syndrome