AUTHOR=Gao Xueren , Wang Jianguo , Yu Yongguo 

TITLE=The Association Between STAT4 rs7574865 Polymorphism and the Susceptibility of Autoimmune Thyroid Disease: A Meta-Analysis

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Genetics

VOLUME=9

YEAR=2019

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/genetics/articles/10.3389/fgene.2018.00708

DOI=10.3389/fgene.2018.00708

ISSN=1664-8021

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Objectives:</bold> The signal transducer and activator of transcription 4 (<italic>STAT4</italic>) gene encodes an important transcription factor that transmits signals induced by several cytokines associated with autoimmune diseases and has been identified as a susceptibility gene for numerous autoimmune disorders. The association between <italic>STAT4</italic> rs7574865 polymorphism and the susceptibility of autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) has been investigated in previous case-control studies. However, the investigation results were inconsistent. Hence, a meta-analysis was performed to draw a more reliable conclusion about it.</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> All relevant studies were searched in Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure, till August 20, 2018. The pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to evaluate the strength of the association.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> A total of five independent case-control studies with 1707 AITD patients and 2316 controls were included in the present meta-analysis. The overall pooled analysis indicated that <italic>STAT4</italic> rs7574865 polymorphism was significantly associated with AITD susceptibility [TT vs. GG: OR = 1.63, 95%CI = 1.24–2.15, <italic>P</italic><sub>Z</sub> = 0.0005; TT vs. (TG+GG): OR = 1.55, 95%CI = 1.26–1.91, <italic>P</italic><sub>Z</sub> &lt; 0.0001]. However, the subgroup analysis showed a significant association of <italic>STAT4</italic> rs7574865 polymorphism with AITD susceptibility in Asian population, but not in African population. <italic>STAT4</italic> rs7574865 polymorphism was significantly associated both with Graves’ disease (GD) and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) susceptibility.</p><p><bold>Conclusion:</bold> This meta-analysis showed a significant association between <italic>STAT4</italic> rs7574865 polymorphism and AITD susceptibility. However, further studies with larger sample sizes and other ethnicities are still required to confirm the findings.</p>