Association of Interleukin 27 gene polymorphism and risk of Hepatitis B viral infection in Egyptian population

BackgroundAccording to the World Health Organization, Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is considered a major global public health problem. The genetic background may be a crucial etiologic factor in HBV infection and its complications. Interleukin-27 (IL-27) is a newly discovered cytokine encoded by 2 genes (EBI3 and p28). Mutations in the IL-27 gene may lead to altered cytokine production and/or activity and thus modulate individual’s susceptibility to HVB infection.Aim of the studyThis work was designed to study the association of IL-27p28 (−964A/G, 2905T/G and 4730T/C) gene promoter single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) with the risk of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) in Egyptians. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first one that examines IL-27p28 promoter polymorphism in Egyptian patients.Subjects and methodsOne hundred and sixteen patients with HBV infection and 101 healthy controls were genotyped by using polymerase chain reaction/restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR/RFLP) in Egyptian population.ResultsThere were no significant differences in the genotype and allele frequencies of IL-27p28 gene polymorphisms between patients and controls. Furthermore, no association was found between the distributions of the haplotypes and HBV risk.ConclusionOur data suggested that polymorphisms in the IL-27 gene may not contribute to HBV susceptibility. Further studies with large sample size should be conducted to validate these results in Egyptian population.