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DOI: 10.1055/s-2005-922908
A polymorphism in the interferon stimulated gene PKR is not associated with the persistence of hepatitis C viraemia in a homogenous population of irish females
Aims: Complex host and viral factors interact to determine the outcome of Hepatitis C viral (HCV) infection. It has not been determined whether the signalling pathway and production of interferon alpha is defective in patients who fail to spontaneously clear HCV.
Methods: We sought to determine whether there was an association between a C/T single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at the -168 position in the promoter region of the interferon stimulated gene RNA-dependent protein kinase (PKR) and the persistence of Hepatitis C viraemia We examined the distribution of this polymorphism in a well-studied, ethnically homogenous cohort of women, all infected with hepatitis C genotype 1. The SNP was examined by PCR amplification and restriction enzyme digestion.
Results: DNA samples from 114 patients (69 HCV PCR positive) were genotyped. The distribution of the 3 genotypes in the PCR positive group was: C/C 56 (81.2%), C/T 13 (18.8%), T/T 0 (0%) and that of the PCR negative group C/C 39 (86.7%), C/T (4 (8.9%), T/T 2 (4.4%). There was no statistically significantly difference between these results.
Conclusions: There was no association found between the genotype distribution of the PKR -168 polymorphism and the persistence of hepatitis C viraemia.