Single Nucleotide Polymorphism of the Interferon-γ Gene (IFN-γ +۸۷۴ T/A) and the Prognosis of Hepatitis B Infection

Introduction: Chronic Hepatitis B virus infection is a multifactorial disease with a variety of clinical outcomes. Since interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) is a significant immune factor in antiviral defense, this case-control study aimed to investigate the potential relationship between single nucleotide polymorphism of rs۲۴۳۰۵۶۱ and hepatitis B infection outcome in a population of Birjand city, eastern Iran. Methods: Blood samples were collected from ۶۰ chronically HBV- infected patients and ۶۰ healthy subjects with the history of HBV infection. Genomic DNA was extracted from whole blood by the salting-out method. The first intron of IFN-γ with a length of ۲۶۴ bp was amplified by Amplification Refractory Mutation System Polymerase Chain Reaction (ARMS-PCR) followed by sequencing. Results: Our results exhibited a statistically significant difference between patients and control individuals (p-value<۰.۰۰۱). The frequency of the allele A was ۷۳.۳% in HBV- infected patients, whereas in controls (individuals with a history of HBV infection) it was ۴۶.۷%. Conclusion: A statistically significant relationship was found between the IFN-γ (+۸۷۴T/A, rs۲۴۳۰۵۶۱) single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and chronic HBV infec­tion in the studied population. The obtained results showed that HBV infected individuals with T allele have less risk of progressing to chronic HBV infection. It also suggests that the homozygous carriers of the A allele are more vulnerable to chronic HBV infection.

Keywords:

Chronic Hepatitis B , Single Nucleotide Polymorphism , Interferon-γ (+۸۷۴T/A) , Iran