ABSTRACT
Objective To explore the association between the signal transducer and activator of transcription 4 (STAT4) gene polymorphism and Chinese Han systemic lupus erythematosus patients. Methods Pyrosequencing technique was used to genotype the 3 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the samples of patients and normal individuals. Results Not only these 3 SNPs, but also the haplotypes composed by them showed significant difference between the SLE patients and normal individuals[rs11889341:P=0.012 02, OR (95%CI)=1.22( 1.044～1.424); rs7574865:P=0.003 454, 0R(95%CI)=1.25(1.076～1.451 ); rs8179673: P=0.004 275, OR (95%CI)=1.274 (1.079～1.505)]. Conclusion rs11889341, rs7574865 and rs8179673 of STAT4 are associated with the pathogenesis of Chinese Han SLE, and the STAT4 gene is a susceptibile gene for SLE in a few racial cohorts.