J Appl Biomed 20:37-43, 2022 | DOI: 10.32725/jab.2022.001

Association between interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) gene polymorphisms (+874A/T and +2109A/G), and susceptibility to hepatitis B viral infection (HBV)

Mahmoud F. Dondeti^{1, 2}, Mohamed S. Abdelkhalek¹, Hosam El-Din M Elezawy³, Walaa F. Alsanie⁴, Bassem M. Raafat⁵, Amira M. Gamal-Eldeen⁴, Roba M. Talaat^{1, *}

¹ University of Sadat City (USC), Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute (GEBRI), Molecular Biology Department, Sadat City, Egypt

² National Research Centre (NRC), Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Division, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt

³ Menoufia University, National Liver Institute (NLI), Clinical Biochemistry and Molecular Diagnostics Department, Menoufia, Egypt

⁴ Taif University, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Clinical Laboratory Sciences Department, Taif, Saudi Arabia

⁵ Taif University, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Radiological Sciences Department, Taif, Saudi Arabia

Background: Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) is a chief proinflammatory cytokine with a significant role in the immune response against viral infections. Today there is increasing evidence about the association between individual genetic polymorphisms and cytokines in predicting HBV infection susceptibility.

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the association between IFN-γ gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to hepatitis B viral infection (HBV), and the impact of these genetic polymorphisms on IFN-γ production. IFN-γ (+874A/T, rs2430561, and +2109A/G, rs1861494) was genotyped by single-stranded polymorphism-polymerase chain reaction (SSP-PCR) in 126 Egyptians with chronic HBV infection and in 100 healthy control subjects. The plasma levels of IFN-γ were measured by Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Results: Compared to the control subjects there was a slight increase in +874TT genotype frequency in HBV patients. However, no statistical significance in IFN-γ (+874A/T and +2109A/G) genotype/allele distribution was demonstrated, indicating the lack of association between these SNPs and susceptibility to HBV infection. In +2109A/G, only AG genotype was observed with a complete abrogation of GG and AA genotypes. Haplotypes between different loci on selected genes showed insignificant changes in their frequency in patients and control subjects. HBV patients had a significantly higher level of IFN-γ (P < 0.001) compared to controls. The maximum significant increase in IFN-γ production was observed in subjects harboring the +874TA genotype.

Conclusions: As no association could be characterized between the polymorphism in IFN-γ (+874A/T and +2109A/G) and susceptibility to chronic HBV infection, our data support the concept that IFN-γ gene polymorphisms are not predictors of HBV susceptibility in this segment of the Egyptian population.

Keywords: Egyptian; HBV; IFN-γ; Polymorphism

Grants and funding:

This work was funded by Taif University Researchers Supporting Project number TURSP-2020/103 and the National Liver Institute (NLI) of Menoufia University, Egypt.

Conflicts of interest:

The authors have no conflict of interests to declare.

Received: October 10, 2020; Revised: December 30, 2020; Accepted: December 16, 2021; Prepublished online: January 12, 2022; Published: March 17, 2022  Show citation