and Polymorphisms and Clinical Characteristics in Chinese Women with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

BACKGROUND

Defects in apoptotic cell clearance is a pathogenic factor in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This study screened potential pathogenic single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) related to anti-apoptosis from an SLE family and explored their contribution to SLE susceptibility in Chinese women.

METHODS

Four SNPs ( rs15672, rs12640056, rs6842661, and rs1957106) with potential SLE susceptibility were analyzed for clinical characteristics between 567 patients with SLE and 345 healthy control subjects.

RESULTS

rs15672 G/A and rs12640056C/T polymorphisms were associated with SLE susceptibility (rs15672 A vs G,  = 0.028, OR = 1.25, 95% CI = 1.02-1.52; rs12640056 T vs C,  = 0.015, OR = 0.78, 95% CI = 0.64-0.95, respectively). In addition, patients with AA+GA genotypes of rs15672 had higher positive rates of anti-SSB antibodies ( = 0.008) and lower positive rates of anti-RIB antibodies ( = 0.024) than those with the GG genotype. There were no significant differences in rs12640056 between different genotypes and clinical characteristics.

CONCLUSION

rs15672 G/A and rs12640056C/T polymorphisms are associated with susceptibility to SLE in Chinese women. This highlights the important role of these two SNPs in this disease and suggests that multiple genes from these pathways are candidates for functional studies and therapeutic targets.