The Distribution of Genotype and Allelic Frequency of IL28B Gene Polymorphism in Andhra Pradesh, India

BackgroundThe single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of IL28B gene on chromosome 19, encoding for the interferon (IFN)-λ-3 is strongly associated with treatment response to pegylated-IFN and ribavirin in patients infected with different genotypes of hepatitis C virus (HCV). Difference between ethnicity and treatment response rates suggesting a key role of host genetics. The IL28B polymorphism (rs12979860C/T) shows a marked differential distribution between racial groups.AimThe present study is aimed to evaluate genotype and allelic frequency of IL28B gene polymorphism (rs12979860C/T) in Andhra Pradesh, India.MethodsA total of 220 healthy controls were recruited for the study. The genotyping of SNP rs12979860C/T on IL28B gene was performed by polymerase chain reaction-direct sequencing method.ResultThe frequency of CC genotype was found to be significantly (59.09%) higher compared to CT (34.09%) and TT (6.81%) genotypes, respectively. The frequency of major allele C is 0.762 whereas minor allele T is 0.238.ConclusionThe higher distribution of genotype ‘CC’ of SNP, rs12979860C/T of IL28B gene in study subjects is suggestive of better response of HCV patients to standard anti-HCV therapy.