Abstract:

Objective To investigate the association between the single nucleotide polymorphisms of interleukin-27 （IL-27） gene and susceptibility to systematic lupus erythematosus （SLE） in Guangxi Zhuang population. Methods In total, 135 patients with SLE and 150 age- and sex-matched human controls of Zhuang nationality were recruited in this study. PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism （RFLP） analysis and DNA sequencing were performed to analyze the IL-27 gene -964 A/G and -2905 T/G polymorphisms. Results Significant differences were observed in the distribution of IL-27 gene -964 A/G polymorphism （χ2 = 9.88, P < 0.01）. The relative risk for SLE in carriers of G allele at position 964 of IL-27 gene was 1.725 times that in carriers of A allele at this position （OR = 1.725，95% CI: 1.227 - 2.425）. A significant increase was observed in the frequency of 964G/2905G alleles of IL-27 gene in patients with SLE compared with the controls （10.7% vs. 5.3%, P < 0.01）, and the 964G /2905G alleles were associated with a significantly increased risk for SLE （OR = 2.351, 95% CI: 1.228 - 4.501）. Conclusions The IL-27 gene -964 A/G polymorphism is associated with the development of SLE, and the -964 G allele may increase the genetic susceptibility to SLE.

Key words: Gene polymorphism