Association Between IFN-γ Gene Polymorphisms and IgA Nephropathy in a Chinese Han Population.

Background/Aims: IFN-gamma was reported to be involved in the development and progression of Immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN), however, few studies have investigated the association between IFN-gamma polymorphisms and IgAN. Therefore, we performed a case-control study to assess the association between IFN-gamma polymorphisms and the risk of IgAN. Methods: Sequenom MassARRAY was used to genotype two SNPs (rs1861494 and rs2430561) in 351 patients with IgAN and 310 healthy controls. Associations were evaluated as odd ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: No association was found between IFN-gamma rs1861494 and IgAN risk or clinical parameters. For rs2430561, the AA genotype was more common in patients with IgAN, compared with controls (AT vs. AA: OR = 0.57, P = 0.035). IFN- gamma rs2430561 T allele may be a protective factor for IgAN susceptibility (T vs. A: OR = 0.59, P = 0.04). Subgroup analysis based on clinical features revealed no significant association between rs2430561 polymorphism and clinical data such as gender, 24-h urine protein, blood pressure, Oxford classification and estimated glomerular filtration rate. IgAN patients had a higher IFN-gamma serum level than healthy controls and patients with rs1861494 AA genotype had a higher IFN-gamma serum level compared with those with AG/GG genotypes. Conclusions: IFN-gamma polymorphisms may be involved in the development and progression of IgAN. (C) 2017 The Author(s) Published by S. Karger AG, Basel