Association Study of IFIH1 rs1990760 Polymorphism with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in a Chinese Population

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex autoimmune disease arising from the action of multiple genetic and environmental risk factors. The aim of this study was to examine the association of a single-nucleotide polymorphism, rs1990760, of the interferon induced with helicase C domain 1 (IFIH1) gene with SLE in a Chinese population. A total of 877 SLE patients and 978 healthy control subjects were enrolled in the present study. The genotype of the IFIH1 rs1990760 polymorphism was determined by Sequenom MassARRAY technology. The IFIH1 rs1990760 T allele was significantly increased in patient group compared with control subjects (T versus C, Odds ratio = 1.20, 95 % confidence interval = 1.02-1.40). However, no significant difference in genotype distribution was found between cases and controls (P = 0.07). No significant evidence was detected for the association of the IFIH1 rs1990760 polymorphism with SLE under neither dominant nor recessive model (TT + TC versus CC, P = 0.06; TT versus TC + CC, P = 0.08). We also analyzed the association of the IFIH1 rs1990760 T allele with clinical features, whereas no significant signal was found. In conclusion, our study represents the first report demonstrating an association of the IFIH1 rs1990760 polymorphism with SLE susceptibility in a Chinese population.