Genetic variation in the microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (-493G/T) is associated with hepatic steatosis in patients infected with hepatitis C virus

• Published in: BMC infectious diseases 2017-03, Vol.17 (1), p.235-235, Article 235
• Main Authors: Magri, Mariana Cavalheiro, Prata, Thamiris Vaz Gago, Manchiero, Caroline, Dantas, Bianca Peixoto, Mazza, Celso Carmo, Tengan, Fátima Mitiko
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Age; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Alanine; Alanine transaminase; Amplification; Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism Analysis; Aspartate aminotransferase; Assaying; Assembly; Biochemistry; Body mass; Body mass index; Carrier Proteins - genetics; Cholesterol; Chromosome 4; Chronic hepatitis C; Chronic infection; Damage; Density; Deoxyribonucleic acid; Diabetes; Diabetes mellitus; Diagnosis; Disease resistance; DNA; Endonuclease; Fasting; Fatty Liver - diagnosis; Fatty Liver - genetics; Fatty Liver - virology; Female; Fibrosis; Fragmentation; Gastroenterology; Gastrointestinal tract; Gene expression; Genetic Markers; Genotype; Genotype & phenotype; Hepatic steatosis; Hepatitis; Hepatitis C; Hepatitis C, Chronic - complications; Hepatitis C, Chronic - genetics; Hepatology; HIV; Homeostasis; Human immunodeficiency virus; Human performance; Humans; Infections; Infectious diseases; Inflammation; Influence; Insulin resistance; Interferon; Lipids; Liver diseases; Male; Mathematical analysis; Metabolic disorders; Metabolism; Microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTTP); Middle Aged; Multivariate Analysis; Obesity; Polymerase chain reaction; Polymorphism; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; Population studies; Proteins; Regression analysis; Retrospective Studies; Ribonucleic acid; Risk; RNA; Secretion; Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP); Statistical analysis; Temperature effects; Thermal cycling; Tobacco; Viruses
• ISSN: 1471-2334; 1471-2334
• DOI: 10.1186/s12879-017-2340-x

In chronic hepatitis C, the fibrosis progression rates are extremely variable and can be influenced by factors associated with the host, virus and environment. Among the associated metabolic factors, hepatic steatosis is characterized by an accumulation of triglycerides in hepatocytes. In the host, genetic determinants of hepatic steatosis are observed, such as single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTTP) gene. The MTTP -493G/T SNP appears to play an important role in the regulation of gene expression and influences the plasma concentration of circulating low-density lipoprotein (LDL). The present study investigated the influence of this SNP in the development of hepatic steatosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C and evaluated the association of hepatic steatosis with certain characteristics of these patients and the hepatitis C virus (HCV). Two hundred thirty-nine patients with chronic hepatitis C were genotyped for the MTTP -493G⁄T SNP by a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) assay. The association between hepatic steatosis and selected characteristics of the patient and virus was evaluated using bivariate and multivariate analyses. The most prevalent MTTP -493G/T genotype was GG (46%) followed by GT (43.5%) and TT (10.5%). Multivariate analysis of the total cohort revealed associations between the presence of hepatic steatosis and inflammatory activity of moderate to high intensity (P