Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms of the Mannose-binding Lectin are Associated with Susceptibility to Primary Biliary Cirrhosis

Author： Matsushita M. Miyakawa H. Tanaka A. Hijikata M. Kikuchi K. Fujikawa H. Arai J. Sainokami S. Hino K. Terai I. Mishiro S. Gershwin M.E.

Publisher： Academic Press

ISSN： 0896-8411

Source： Journal of Autoimmunity, Vol.17, Iss.3, 2001-11, pp. : 251-257

Disclaimer: Any content in publications that violate the sovereignty, the constitution or regulations of the PRC is not accepted or approved by CNPIEC.

Previous Menu Next

Abstract

Although the immunopathogenesis of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) remains unknown, familial clustering of patients with PBC suggests an important role for genetic factors. In addition, recent data support the thesis that the mucosal immune response against intraluminal pathogens may be involved with the onset of PBC. Mannose-binding lectin (MBL) is a key factor in innate mucosal defenses and has several key single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). To study whether MBL gene SNPs are associated with susceptibility to PBC, we studied 65 patients with PBC and 218 controls by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and sequence specific priming-polymerase chain reaction (SSP-PCR) to examine four polymorphic loci: two (H/L and X/Y) within the promoter region and the other two (P/Q and A/B) within exon-1. We also analyzed serum MBL concentrations. Interestingly, the prevalence of haplotype HYPA, leading to hyper-production of MBL, as well as HYPA/HYPA genotype were significantly increased in PBC compared to controls (0.53 vs. 0.44, P=0.031; 33.9%vs. 17.0%, P=0.003, respectively). Furthermore, individuals homozygous for HYPA had a significantly increased risk for PBC (odds ratio (OR)=2.51, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.34–4.66). Our results demonstrate that the MBL genotype can be significantly associated with increased risk for PBC, and further, that increased production of MBL plays a critical role in immunopathogenesis.