Gene polymorphisms in heart transplantation : association studies of cytokine and stress protein gene polymorphisms in heart failure and transplant related complications

textabstractInflammation is a characteristic feature of heart failure and of complications after heart transplantation. These inflammatory responses are regulated by cytokines and stress proteins. The production and function of cytokines and stress proteins can be controlled by genetic variations, polymorphisms. In this thesis, we attempted to identify genetic risk factors for the underlying diseases of the heart transplant patients, ischemic heart disease and dilated cardiomyopathy and for complications after heart transplantation, acute rejection, graft vascular disease and renal failure. For that reason, we studied polymorphisms of relevant cytokines (i.e., IL-2, IFN-y and TGF-51) and a stress protein gene (H0-1 ).