Infection, genetics and evolution : journal of molecular epidemiology and evolutionary genetics in infectious diseases
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Infect. Genet. Evol. · Oct 2014
Association of IL-2 polymorphisms and IL-2 serum levels with susceptibility to HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma in a Chinese Zhuang population.
Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is an immunoregulatory cytokine produced by T cells and plays an important role in antitumor immunity. Variations in the DNA sequence of the IL-2 gene may lead to altered cytokine production and/or activity, and thus modulate an individual's susceptibility to hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HBV-related HCC). To test this hypothesis, we investigated whether IL-2 gene polymorphisms and its serum levels are associated with HBV-related HCC in a Chinese population. ⋯ The results suggested that the IL-2 +114T/G polymorphism may contribute to increased HBV-related HCC risk through regulating the serum IL-2 levels. Further large and well-designed studies in diverse ethnic populations are needed to confirm our results.