[Association of polymorphisms in signal transducer and activator of transcription 4 gene and the susceptibility to unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortions]

To investigate the association between the polymorphisms of signal transducer and activator of transcription 4 (STAT4) gene and the susceptibility to unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion(URSA).PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) was used to detect genotype 3 loca (rs7574865 G/T, rs10181656 C/G and rs16833431 C/T) polymorphism of STAT4 in 246 URSA cases (URSA group) and 183 normal controls (control group) .(1)The frequencies of rs7574865 were genotype G/G of 36.2% (89/246) in URSA group and 46.4% (85/183) in control group, genotype G/T of 47.2% (116/246) in URSA group and 45.4% (83/183) in control group, and genotype T/T of 16.7% (41/246) in URSA group and 8.2% (15/183) in control group, which reached statistical difference (P0.05). The frequencies of rs10181656 were genotype CC of 36.6% (90/246) in URSA group and 46.4% (85/183) in control group, genotype C/G of 48.0% (118/246) in URSA group and 44.8% (82/183) in control group, and genotype G/G of 15.4% (38/246) in URSA group and 8.7% (16/183) in control group, which reached statistical difference (P0.05). The carriers of rs7574865 T allele and rs10181656 G allele increased the risk of URSA (OR = 1.51, 1.44, all P0.05).(2) There was no different distribution in 3 genotypes (C/C, C/T, T/T) and 2 alleles (C and T) of rs16833431 C/T between URSA patients and normal controls (P = 0.43,0.48). (3) Timated haplotype frequency distribution of rs7574865 G/T and rs10181656 C/G showed haplotype G-T conferring the susceptibility to URSA (OR = 1.49, P0.01), but haplotype C-G could provide protection on URSA (OR = 0.68, P0.01).Polymorphisms of STAT4 gene might confer the susceptibility to URSA by altering STAT4 function and (or) its expression.