Background: It is reported that Fc receptor-like gene 3 (FCRL3) was linked to a variety of autoimmune diseases in Japanese. However, studies in Caucasians and Koreans failed to confirm this result.
Objectives: The aim of the study was to test FCRL3 gene polymorphisms for association with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in Chinese han population.
Methods: We analyzed four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs7528684, rs11264799, rs945635 and rs3761959) in a case-control cohort composed of 248 SLE patients and 278 healthy controls using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) assay.
Results: Analysis of genotype frequencies revealed no significant difference between SLE patients and control subjects for the FCRL3 gene polymorphisms, we also inferred common haplotypes and found no significant difference of haplotype frequency between SLE patients and controls. The FCLR3 genotypes were also not associated with antinuclear antibody (ANA) in the SLE patients.
Conclusions: These results suggested that genetic variations in FCRL3 were not associated with SLE in Chinese population.