Association of Fas Ligand gene polymorphism with Stevens-Johnson syndrome

Background: Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are acute severe blistering diseases of the skin and also two of the most devastating ocular surface diseases leading to corneal damage and loss of vision. The extreme rarity of cutaneous and ocular surface reactions to drug therapies led us to suspect individual susceptibility. SJS/TEN patients in the acute stage were reported to manifest increased serum levels of Fas Ligand (FasL). Thus, we performed SNP association analysis of the FasL gene. Methods: In 76 Japanese SJS/TEN patients with ocular surface complications and 160 Japanese healthy controls, we examined four SNPs of FasL reported in the Japanese Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (JSNP) database by sequencing. Results: The SNP rs. 3830150 A/G showed a significant strong inverse association with SJS/TEN. Analysis of the genotype pattern of SNPs rs. 3830150 and rs. 2639614 (rs. 3830150 A/A-rs. 2639614 G/G) also manifested a strong inverse association with SJS/TEN. Conclusion: FasL gene polymorphisms might be associated with SJS/TEN.