Endotoxin receptor CD14 gene variants and histological features in chronic HCV infection

To analyze the correlation between CD14 rs2569190/C-159T single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and disease progression in chronic hepatitis C.

Liver biopsy specimens from a total of 137 and 349 patients with chronic hepatitis C were separately evaluated with respect to necroinflammatory activity (grading) and architectural changes (staging). In one group, further histological lesions characteristic for hepatitis C, hepatitis C virus subtypes, and biochemical parameters of liver disease were also investigated. Samples of genomic DNA were genotyped for the respective SNP by 5'-nuclease assays using fluorescent dye-labeled allele-specific probes.

Genotype distribution did not deviate from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. In the first group, patients homozygous for the variant allele T were found to be younger than C allele carriers (39.6 +/- 12.5 vs 45.7 +/- 11.5, P = 0.008). Among the histological lesions studied, portal lymphoid aggregates were more frequently observed among TT homozygotes than among C carriers (21/37 vs 32/100, P = 0.008). The presence of portal lymphoid aggregates was closely correlated with hepatic inflammation (P = 0.003) and with bile duct damage (P < 0.001). The degree of fibrosis, in contrast, was not found to be related to the CD14 gene C-159T polymorphism.

The data suggest a possible relationship between CD14 C-159T polymorphism and the formation of portal lymphoid aggregates, but not liver fibrosis progression in chronic hepatitis C.