ASSOCIATION OF STAT4 GENE SINGLE-NUCLEOTIDE POLYMORPHISM WITH SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS.

Background:- Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is the prototypical systemic autoimmune disorder, with complex etiology and a strong genetic component. The signal transducer and activator of transcription-4 (STAT4) has been found to be a susceptible gene in the development of SLE in various populations. Aim of the work:- To determine the association of STAT4 (rs7582694) gene polymorphism with thesusceptibility, clinical manifestation, and autoantibodies production in patients of SLE. Patients and methods:- Ninety fourSLE patients andNinety four age and sex matchedhealthyvolunteers (control)were included in this study. Analysis ofSTAT4 genotyping was performed by using Polymerase Chain Reaction- restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Results:- The STAT 4 C/C genotype and G/C genotype frequencies were significantly higher in patients than controls ( amounted to 17.0% and 4.3% for C/C genotype and amounted to 42.6% and 25.5% for G/C genotype respectively).The frequency of the STAT4 C allele was significantly higher in patients with SLE compared to control, with frequencies of 38.3% and 17.0% respectively. Conclusion:- STAT4(rs7582694) gene polymorphism was significantly associated with development of SLE and occurrence of some clinical manifestation of the disease.