Variable number tandem repeat polymorphism of MUC5AC was not associated with H.pylori infection

ABSTRACT

Background: Some researchers indicated that investigating MUC5AC is necessary for H.pylori infection because H.pylori is easy to locate in MUC5AC. However, there is no publication about the effect of variable number tandem repeat polymorphism of MUC5AC on H.pylori infection. Objective: To investigate the relationship between mucin 5AC variable number tandem repeated polymorphism and H.pylori infection. Subject and Method: 170 patients were studied, mean age 43, male 35%. Blood samples were collected from patients, who visited Can Tho General Hospital for upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. DNA was isolated from whole blood; the repeated section of the MUC5AC alleles was not cut out with a restriction enzyme (SacI). H.pylori infection was diagnosed with 14 C urea breath test. Distributions of allele fragment length were compared to H.pylori positive and negative patients. Results: 52% of patients were H.pylori infected. MUC5AC SacI-restricted allele fragment lengths ranged from 6.2 to 11.2 kbp (mean 7.9), the calculated number of repeated ranged from 170 to 380 (mean 243). Mean allele length was identical for H.pylori positive and negative patients were 7.9 kbp, and the distribution of allele fragment lengths was also similar for both groups (p=0.7). Conclusion: The number of repeats in the MUC5AC gen was highly polymorphic, but the variation in allele length was limited. The variable number tandem repeat polymorphism of MUC5AC was not associated with H.pylori infection.