Lack of association between FCRL3 and FcγRII polymorphisms in Japanese type 1 autoimmune hepatitis

Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is an organ-specific autoimmune disease characterized by chronic inflammation of the liver. Although the HLA-DRB1*0405 allele is associated with type 1 AIN in Japanese, the exact genetic etiology of AIN remains undefined. Recently, polymorphisms of Fc gamma receptors (Fc gamma R) and Fc receptor-like gene 3 (FCRL3) were linked to a variety of autoimmune diseases, and may be at least partially responsible for susceptibility to AIH. In this study, we genotyped Fc gamma RIIA, Fc gamma RIIB, and four FCRL3 polymorphisms in 87 Japanese patients with type 1 AIN and 97 ethnically matched controls using the TaqMan assay. Although we were able to detect significantly tower serum IgG concentrations in AN patients specifically with the FCRL3-110A/A genotype, we observed no difference in the distribution of the genotypes between patients and controls, implying that susceptibility to type 1 AN in Japanese patients is not influenced by Fc gamma RIIA, Fc gamma RIIB, or FCRL3 polymorphisms. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.