Association between macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) -173G/C gene polymorphism and susceptibility to immune-related diseases in Chinese Han population: a meta-analysis

Objective To investigate the association between macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) -173G/C gene polymorphism and the susceptibility to immune-related diseases in Chinese Han population. Methods Databases of Wanfang, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), PubMed, Excerpta Medica dataBASE (EMbase) and Web of Science (WOS) were comprehensively searched for pertinent articles published in Chinese and English. Odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used as effect size measures. Publication bias was examined by Brgge′s funnel plots and Egger′s test. Revman 5.3 and STATA 12.0 software were used for statistical analysis. Results Nine articles were included in this meta-analysis and the studied immune-related diseases included UC (ulcerative colitis), CD (Crohn′s disease), RA (rheumatoid arthritis), PS (psoriasis), asthma, BD (Behcet′s disease), VKH (Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome), AOSD (adult-onset Still′s disease) and AD (atopic dermatitis). The overall result of the meta-analysis showed that the MIF 173G/C gene polymorphism could increase the susceptibility to immune-related diseases in Chinese Han people (recessive genetic model: OR=1.92, 95%CI: 1.44-2.58; dominant genetic model: OR=1.44, 95%CI: 1.28-1.61; allele model: OR=1.34, 95%CI: 1.22-1.34; homozygote model: OR=1.98, 95%CI: 1.51-2.60; heterozygote model: OR=1.24, 95%CI: 1.11-1.40; all P<0.01). In addition, a subgroup analysis of the North and South of China showed that except for the heterozygote model in the North group, the recessive model (OR=2.03, 95%CI: 1.24-3.31), dominant genetic model (OR=1.51, 95%CI: 1.24-1.83), allele model (OR=1.37, 95%CI: 1.22-1.54) and homozygote model (OR=2.08, 95%CI: 1.31-2.30) all had statistical significance. All of the five models in the South group showed statistical significance (recessive model: OR=1.88, 95%CI: 1.31-2.69; dominant genetic model: OR=1.40, 95%CI: 1.22-1.61; allele model: OR=1.29, 95%CI: 1.10-1.52; homozygote model: OR=1.93, 95%CI: 1.38-2.71; heterozygote model: OR=1.19, 95%CI: 1.08-1.31; all P<0.05). Conclusion The polymorphism of MIF -173G/C gene may be a susceptible gene to immune-related diseases in Chinese Han people. Key words: Macrophage migration inhibitory factor; 173G/C; Gene polymorphism; Immune related disease; Meta-analysis