Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor (MIF) Gene Promotor Polymorphism Is Associated with Increased Fibrosis in Biliary Atresia Patients, but Not with Disease Susceptibility.

Two polymorphisms, rs755622 and rs5844572, in the promoter region of the macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) gene influence the basal and/or induced transcriptional activity and have been linked to several inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between these two polymorphisms and disease susceptibility in patients with biliary atresia (BA). Allele frequencies of rs755622 and rs5844572 were assessed in 60 Egyptian infants with a confirmed diagnosis of BA. DNA was extracted from archival material. For the rs755622, samples were tested using Taqman real-time PCR, and for the rs5844572, samples were tested using fluorescence-based genotyping. The allele frequency in the general population was assessed in 141 healthy adults from the same geographical location. No statistical differences were observed in the allele frequencies of either rs755622 or rs5844572 between BA patients and controls. The homozygous and heterozygous short repeats (5/5, or 5/X) of rs5844572 were observed more frequently (16/28, 57.1%) in BA patients with mild to moderate fibrosis compared with those with marked fibrosis (10/32, 31.3%). The difference was statistically significant (P  =  0.032). In conclusion, we observed no association between MIF rs755622 and rs5844572 polymorphisms and susceptibility to BA; however, the rs5844572 could be linked to the rate of progression of the disease and extent of fibrosis.