Polymorphisms of the STAT4 gene in the pathogenesis of tuberculosis

The signal transducer and activator of transcription 4 (STAT4) gene encodes a transcription factor that transmits signals induced by several cytokines which play critical roles in the development of autoimmune and chronic inflammatory diseases. In the present study, we have investigated the association between STAT4 polymorphisms and a predisposition to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) infection and pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). In the present study, a total of 209 cases of PTB, 201 subjects with latent TB infection (LTBI), and 204 healthy controls (HC) were included. Logistic regression analyses were used to calculate P-values, odds ratios (ORs), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for assessing the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and disease risk. We used Bonferroni correction to adjust the P-values. Genotyping was conducted using the improved multiplex ligase detection reaction (iMLDR) method. For the rs7574865 polymorphism, the GT genotype is less frequent in the LTBI group compared with HC (P=0.028, OR = 0.62; 95%CI: 0.40–0.95). In addition, the prevalence of the rs897200 CC genotype was lower in the PTB cases compared with LTBI individuals (P=0.039, OR = 0.54; 95%CI: 0.30–0.97). However, no SNPs within STAT4 were associated with PTB or LTBI after Bonferroni correction. Our study demonstrated that STAT4 variants were not related to LTBI and PTB.