Contribution of the STAT4 rs7574865 gene polymorphism to the susceptibility to autoimmune thyroiditis in healthy Turk population and psoriatic subgroups

Introduction: Stat4 is an important transcription factor that activates gene transcription as a response to cytokines. recently, the influence of Stat4 gene on autoimmune disease has been widely studied in many different immune-related diseases. autoimmune, metabolic and cardiovascular disor ders are more common in psoriatic patients. Stat4 may be a unique gene that switches on in autoimmune-related thyroid disease in psoriatic patients. t he aim of the study: t o explore the association of a Stat 4 rs7574865 polymorphism to autoim mune thyroid diseases in the general turkish population and psoriatic subgroups. Material and methods: a total of 132 psoriatic patients and 118 non-psoriatic volunteers were genotyped for Stat4 rs7574865 using real time PCr. twenty-four of the psoriatic patients and 15 of the non-psoriatic volunteers have autoimmune-related thyroid diseases. Results: the prevalence of the t allele [Or = 4.37; 95% Ci: 1.05-19; p = 0.03] of the S tat4 rs7574865 was higher in individuals with autoimmune-related thyroid diseases among the all non-psoriatic volunteers. the volunteers with autoimmune-related thyroid diseases has an increased allele positivity and carriers having at least one of the risk allele was significantly higher than in counterparts with a gg wild genotype [Orgt/tt vs. gg: 1.73; 95% Ci: 0.09-32; p = 0.03]. Yet, there was no evidence of an association between rs7574865 and autoimmune-related thyroid disease in psoriatic patients. Conclusions: the Stat4 rs7574865 polymorphism increases autoimmune-related thyroid disease susceptibility among the general population but not in psoriatic patients.