MTP -493G/T gene polymorphism is associated with steatosis in hepatitis C-infected patients

The reduction of hepatic microsomal transfer protein (MTP) activity results in fatty liver, worsening hepatic steatosis and fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C (CHC). The G allele of the MTP gene promoter, -493G/T, has been associated with lower transcriptional activity than the T allele. We investigated this association with metabolic and histological variables in patients with CHC. A total of 174 untreated patients with CHC were genotyped for MTP -493G/T by direct sequencing using PCR. All patients were negative for markers of Wilson’s disease, hemochromatosis and autoimmune diseases and had current and past daily alcohol intake lower than 100 g/week. The sample distribution was in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Among subjects with genotype 1, 56.8% of the patients with fibrosis grade 3+4 presented at least one G allele versus 34.3% of the patients with fibrosis grade 1+2 (OR = 1.8; 95%CI = 1.3-2.3). Logistic regression analysis with steatosis as the dependent variable identified genotypes GG+GT as independent protective factors against steatosis (OR = 0.4, 95%CI = 0.2-0.8; P = 0.01). The results suggest that the presence of the G allele of MTP -493G/T associated with lower hepatic MTP expression protects against steatosis in our CHC patients.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Siqueira,E.R.F., Oliveira,C.P.M.S., Correa-Giannella,M.L., Stefano,J.T., Cavaleiro,A.M., Fortes,M.A.H.Z., Muniz,M.T.C., Silva,F.S., Pereira,L.M.M.B., Carrilho,F.J.
Format:	Digital revista
Language:	English
Published:	Associação Brasileira de Divulgação Científica 2012
Online Access:	http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0100-879X2012000100012
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