Association between PNPLA3 gene polymorphisms and risk of hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma in Han population in China:a case-control study

Abstract

Background and aim: Several recent studies showed that the genetic polymorphisms in the PNPLA3 region (rs738408, rs738409, rs2294918, rs2294919 and rs2281135) were with related to various kinds of liver diseases. We analyzed the five single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for major HBV outcomes in Han Chinese.

Methods: A total of 2410 samples were involved and peripheral blood samples were collected in this study. The SNPs in the PNPLA3 region were genotyped by using Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry.

Results: Our study indicated the clear relationship between the PNPLA3 rs2294918, rs2294919 and HBV-related HCC after control for the effects of sex, drinking and smoking. Health subjects with the PNPLA3 rs2294919 TC genotype would have a 0.605 (95% CI: 0.413, 0.886; p = .010) times lower odds of having HCC, and those with the rs2294918 AG genotype would have a 1.872 (95% CI: 1.256, 2.792; p = .002) times higher odds of having HCC, whereas the values of sex, age, drinking and smoking were fixed. In addition, CA haplotype of the haplotype block of rs738409 and rs2281135 was also associated with HBV-related HCC.

Conclusions: Our study suggested that PNPLA3 loci (rs2294918, rs2294919) were associated with HBV-related HCC in Han Chinese.

Keywords:

• Hepatocellular carcinoma
• hepatitis B virus
• PNPLA3
• polymorphisms

Acknowledgements

We thank Foundation of Ministry of Education Doctoral Degree (20131323110001), Project of Science and Technology Department of Hebei (13277732D) and Department of Education of Hebei Province (CN) for science and technology research project (QN2017101) for their support to this study, and all the staff who were involved in the subject recruitment, telephone interviews, sample preparation and laboratory assays for their hard work.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Additional information

Funding

We thank Foundation of Ministry of Education Doctoral Degree (20131323110001), Project of Science and Technology Department of Hebei (13277732D) and Department of Education of Hebei Province (CN) for science and technology research project (QN2017101) for their support to this study, and all the staff who were involved in the subject recruitment, telephone interviews, sample preparation and laboratory assays for their hard work.