Fas/FasL gene polymorphism in patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis in Turkish population

Hashimoto's disease is a polygenic disorder with complex etiopathogenesis. Apoptosis is proposed as one of its mechanisms. The Fas/Fas ligand cascade represents a major pathway initiating apoptosis. This study aims to evaluate the influence of Fas and FasL gene polymorphism in Hashimoto's thyroiditis in Turkish population.

A total of 112 patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis and 112 cases of healthy control people were included in this study. The evaluation of genotype for Fas -670 A/G and FasL 843 C/T gene polymorphism was performed by using PCR-RFLP method.

The FAS genotype and gene allele frequency distribution did differ between the control group (AA 36.6 %, AG 50.0 %, GG 13.4 %, A 61.6 %, G 38.4 %) and the Hashimoto's thyroiditis patients (AA 21.4 %, AG 50.9 %, GG 27.7 %, A 46.9 %, G 53.1 %) (p < 0.01). The evaluation of FasL genotype and gene allele frequency did not show statistically significant difference between the patient group (CC 27.7 %, CT 45.5 %, TT 26.8 %, C 50.4 %, T 49.6 %) and control group (CC 33.9 %, CT 44.6 %, TT 21,4 %, C 56.3 %, T 43.8 %) (p > 0.05).

Gene polymorphism of Fas and G allele frequency may play a role in the regulation of apoptosis in thyroid autoimmune disorders. There is a need for further studies to clarify the genetic role of apoptosis in HT.