Association of FCRL3 C-169T promoter single-nucleotide polymorphism with idiopathic infertility and infertility-related endometriosis

Investigation of biomarkers in Endometriosis-associated infertility: Systematic Review

The relationship between endometriosis and infertility is still unknown, but it is possible that genetic polymorphisms influence these two variables. This study aims to identify, in the literature, which polymorphisms are related to infertility in women with endometriosis. A search was performed in databases using the descriptors: polymorphisms genetics and infertility and endometriosis. 386 articles were identified, and after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 33 case-control studies were included. Genes and their respective polymorphisms, which exhibited statistically significant values, were classified into three categories: related to metabolic/cellular processes, steroidogenesis and sex hormone receptors, inflammation and immune response. In summary, the results of these studies suggest that the polymorphisms rs882605 of MUC4 gene, rs16826658 of WNT4 gene, rs10953316 of MUC17 gene, rs10928050 of KAZN gene, rs1799889 of PAI-1 gene, (TA)n repeats of ESR1 gene, (CA)n repeats of ESR2 gene, rs605059 of HSD17B1 gene, rs743572 of CYP17A1 gene, insLQ of LHR gene, p.Ile49Ser of AMH gene, rs12700667 of NPVF/NFE2L3 gene, G1502A of LHβ gene, G + 1730A of ERβ gene, rs7528684 of FCRL3 gene, rs3761549 of FOXP3 gene and rs28362491 of NFKβ1 gene are implicated in the etiology of infertility in women with endometriosis.

Association of FCRL3 Genetic Polymorphisms With Endometriosis-Related Infertility Risk: An Independent Study in Han Chinese

The Fc receptor-like 3 (FCRL3) gene was reported to be linked to a variety of autoimmune diseases, including endometriosis-related infertility. However, this linkage has not been studied in Chinese population and there has been no meta-analysis on the interrelationship of FCRL3 gene and endometriosis-related infertility. The aim of the study was to investigate the association between FCRL3 genetic polymorphisms and the risk of endometriosis-related infertility in Han Chinese, and a further meta-analysis was conducted to confirm our results.Four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs7528684 [FCRL3_3], rs11264799 [FCRL3_4], rs945635 [FCRL3_5], and rs3761959 [FCRL3_6]) on FCRL3 gene were genotyped in a case-control cohort composed of 217 patients suffering from endometriosis-related infertility and 220 healthy controls using cleaved amplification polymorphism sequence-tagged sites (polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism, PCR-RFLP). Odds ratio (OR) and its 95% confidence interval (CI) was used to evaluate the association quantitatively. Furthermore, a meta-analysis of previous studies including the present study was implemented through Stata 11.0 (Stata Corporation, College Station, TX).We found an approximately 1.4-fold significantly increased frequency of the FCRL3_3 variant in women with endometriosis-related infertility over the controls (OR = 1.41 [95% CI = 1.08-1.84], P = 0.013). However, no significant difference was found between women with endometriosis-related infertility and controls for FCRL3_4, FCRL3_5, and FCRL3_6. Regardless of the symptoms and the revised classification of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (rASRM) stage of endometriosis, there was a significant association between FCRL3_3 variant and an increased risk of endometriosis-related infertility. Meta-analysis of previous studies combined with the present study further confirmed the association between FCRL3_3 and the risk of endometriosis-related infertility.In summary, the present study suggested that FCRL3_3 variant was associated with an increased risk of endometriosis-related infertility, regardless of symptoms, and rASRM stage of the patients. Meta-analysis of previous studies combined with the present study further confirmed our results. Further large-scale studies in the future are warranted to explore the association between FCRL3 genetic polymorphisms and endometriosis-related infertility, as well as other human diseases, in Asian and other ethnicities.

Folate metabolism gene polymorphisms MTHFR C677T and A1298C and risk for preeclampsia: a meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES

MTHFR C677T and A1298C have been associated with the risk of preeclampsia (PE), but with conflicting results. We performed this meta-analysis to derive a more precise estimation of the association between MTHFR polymorphisms and PE.

STUDY DESIGN

An electronic search of PubMed and Chinese Biomedicine database was conducted to select studies for meta-analysis. 54 case controlled studies containing MTHFR C677T and A1298C gene polymorphisms were chosen, and odds ratio (OR) with confidence interval (CI) was used to assess the strength of this association.

RESULT

These studies evaluated 7398 cases and 11230 controls for MTHFR C677T. The overall results suggested that MTHFR C677T was associated with the risk of PE. (T vs. C: OR = 1.157, 95% CI: 1.057-1.266, p = 0.002; TT + CT vs. CC: OR = 1.165, 95% CI : 1.049-1.293, P = 0.004; TT vs. CT + CC: OR = 1.371, 95% CI: 1.153-1.63, p < 0.001). We also evaluated 1103 cases and 988 controls for MTHFR A1298C but could not demonstrate an increased risk of PE for this polymorphism (p = 0.667). A symmetric funnel plot, the Egger's test (p = 0.819) suggested a lack of publication bias.

CONCLUSION

This meta-analysis supports the idea that MTHFR C677T genotype is associated with increased risk for PE, especially in the case of Asians and Caucasians.

Human FcR polymorphism and disease

Fc receptors play a central role in maintaining the homeostatic balance in the immune system. Our knowledge of the structure and function of these receptors and their naturally occurring polymorphisms, including single nucleotide polymorphisms and/or copy number variations, continues to expand. Through studies of their impact on human biology and clinical phenotype, the contributions of these variants to the pathogenesis, progression, and/or treatment outcome of many diseases that involve immunoglobulin have become evident. They affect susceptibility to bacterial and viral pathogens, constitute as risk factors for IgG or IgE mediated inflammatory diseases, and impact the development of many autoimmune conditions. In this chapter, we will provide an overview of these genetic variations in classical FcγRs, FcRLs, and other Fc receptors, as well as challenges in achieving an accurate and comprehensive understanding of the FcR polymorphisms and genomic architecture.

The FCRL3 -169T>C polymorphism and the risk of endometriosis-related infertility in a Polish population

OBJECTIVE

Recently, the FCRL3 -169T>C (rs7528684) single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) has been demonstrated to be a risk factor of endometriosis related infertility. We studied whether the FCRL -169T>C SNP can be associated with endometriosis-related infertility in a sample of the Polish population

METHODS

Using PCR-RFLP analysis we genotyped 141 infertile women with endometriosis and 519 fertile women. FCRL3 transcript levels were determined by reverse transcription and real-time quantitative PCR analysis in CD19(+) B cells from women with endometriosis-associated infertility and fertile women

RESULTS

We found a significantly increased frequency of the FCRL3 C/C genotype in women with endometriosis-associated infertility than controls [OR = 1.681 (95 % CI = 1.120-2.522, p = 0.0116, p corr = 0.0348)]. There was also a statistically increased frequency of the C/C and C/T genotypes in patients compared with controls [OR = 2.009 (95 % CI = 1.214-3.324, p = 0.0059, p corr = 0.0177)]. The p value of the χ (2) test for the trend observed for the FCRL3 -169T>C polymorphism was also statistically significant (p trend = 0.0012, p corr = 0.0036). We also found significantly increased FCRL3 transcript levels in carriers of the FCRL3 -169 CC vs TT and CT vs TT genotype both in women with endometriosis-related infertility (p = 0.012; p = 0.015) and fertile women (p = 0.017; p = 0.032) CONCLUSIONS: FCRL3 -169T>C polymorphism alters the expression of FCRL3 and can be a risk factor of endometriosis-related infertility.

Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and asthma, but not childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus are associated with FCRL3 polymorphisms in Mexicans

A regulatory single nucleotide polymorphism located in the 5' region (-169T/C) of the Fc receptor-like 3 (FCRL3_3) gene has been associated with both susceptibility and protection in immune diseases. This case-control study aimed to evaluate the association between FCRL3 polymorphisms and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA), asthma, and childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in a Mexican population. We performed PCR-based genotyping to identify four FCRL3 single nucleotide polymorphisms (FCRL3_3 to FCRL3_6) in patients with JRA (n=202), asthma (n=239), or childhood-onset SLE (n=377), and healthy controls (n=400). The case-control analysis showed a male-gender dependent association between the FCRL3_3C, FCRL3_5C, and FCRL3_6A alleles and either JRA (OR=0.57, p=0.003; OR=0.55, p=0.002; OR=0.53, p=0.0007, respectively) or asthma (OR=0.72, p=0.04; OR=0.74, p=0.05; OR=0.70, p=0.02, respectively). As expected, minor alleles of these SNPs with the CGCA haplotype were also significantly associated with JRA (OR=0.35, p=0.00005) and asthma (OR=0.61, p=0.007). We found no association between FCRL3 SNPs or haplotypes and childhood-onset SLE. These results supported the notion that FCRL3 is involved in the etiology of several immune diseases. Our results also suggested that SNPs located in the FCRL3 gene were protective against JRA and asthma in male Mexican patients.

Polymorphic variants of DNMT3A and the risk of endometriosis

OBJECTIVE

Overexpression of DNA methyltransferase 3A (DNMT3A) and aberrant methylation of various genes in eutopic endometrium have been demonstrated in women with endometriosis. We aimed to study whether DNMT3A polymorphisms could be a genetic risk factor for endometriosis and endometriosis-related infertility.

STUDY DESIGN

We studied 5 SNPs (rs2289195, rs7590760, rs13401241, rs749131 and rs1550117) located in the DNMT3A gene in 357 women with endometriosis and 640 controls.

RESULTS

We did not observe significant differences between genotype and allele frequencies of rs2289195, rs7590760, rs13401241, rs749131 and rs1550117 SNPs in women with endometriosis, endometriosis-related infertility, and controls. The lowest p values of the trend test were observed for DNMT3A rs1550117 in endometriosis and endometriosis-related infertility (p(trend)=0.049 and p(trend)=0.055, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results did not supply evidence for the contribution of SNPs located in DNMT3A to either endometriosis or endometriosis-related infertility.

Insights into Assessing the Genetics of Endometriosis

Endometriosis is a complex disease arising from the interplay between multiple genetic and environmental factors. The genetic variants potentially underlying the hereditary component of endometriosis have been widely investigated through hypothesis-driven candidate gene studies, an approach that generally has proven to be inherently difficult and problematic for a number of reasons. Recently, through major collaborative efforts in the endometriosis research field, hypothesis-free genome-wide approaches have started to provide new insights into potential pathways leading to development of endometriosis, as well as highlighting the phenotypic heterogeneity of the condition. This review summarizes the most recent studies investigating the genetic variation contributing to endometriosis, with a particular focus on genome-wide approaches, and discusses promising future directions of genetic research.