Association of FcγRIIIa-158V/F with systemic lupus erythematosus in a Chinese population.

AIM

It has long been a controversy that polymorphisms in FcγRIIIa (CD16A) receptors are associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We aimed to verify the association of FcγRIIIa polymorphisms with SLE in a large Chinese population.

METHODS

We genotyped FcγRIIIa-158V/F (rs396991) using a pyro-sequencing assay (PSQ 96MA) in a total of 732 individuals with SLE (390 lupus nephritis and 342 non-lupus nephritis) and 886 controls. Meta-analysis was used to examine the association of the FcγRIIIa-F158 allele with SLE and lupus nephritis with RevMan 5.

RESULTS

The allele frequencies of FcγRIIIa-F158 were significantly increased in SLE (OR 1.293, 95%CI 1.111-1.505, P = 0.0009). There was significant skewing in the distribution of FcγRIIIa genotypes between SLE patients and controls (P = 0.0026 for 158 F/F vs. 158F/V and 158V/V, OR 1.604, 95%CI 1.089-2.361). Serositis was more common in patients with the FcγRIIIa-F158 allele and FcγRIIIa-F/F genotype, and low complement was more common in patients with the FcγRIIIa-F/F genotype. There was no skewing in the distribution of FcγRIIIa genotypes in the lupus nephritis group. No association was found for the frequencies of the FcγRIIIa-F158 allele and 158F/F genotype compared with the V158 allele and F/V plus V/V genotypes, respectively, between lupus nephritis and SLE without nephritis patients in a meta-analysis of 11 Asian studies.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that the low-binding allele FcγRIIIa-158F is one of the risk factors for SLE in the Chinese population.