Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 30, 2025

Author Spotlight: Genetic Profiling for Fluorouracil Response in Gastric Cancer
Published on: May 10, 2024
Genetic Variants of GBP4: Reduced Risks for Drug-Induced Acute Liver Failure in Non-Finnish European Population
Tsung-Jen Liao1,2, Menghang Xia2, Paul Hayashi3
1Division of Bioinformatics and Statistics, The FDA's National Center for Toxicological Research, Jefferson, Arkansas, USA.
Background And Aims:
Acute liver failure (ALF) is a serious condition, typically in individuals without prior liver disease. Drug-induced ALF (DIALF) constitutes a major portion of ALF cases. Our research aimed to identify potential genetic predispositions to DIALF.
Methods:
We analysed the potential genetic variants associated with DIALF using the whole exome sequencing data from 75 cases, including 40 non-Finnish European cases in the pilot study. Chi-square tests were performed for case-control analysis against the 1000 genomes project as the control. A replication study of 44 DIALF cases that included 24 non-Finnish Europeans was conducted to validate candidate variants. The association between clinical phenotype and genotypes was analysed using one-way analysis of variance.
Results:
Eight variants (rs561037, rs561042, rs608339, rs655260, rs1142886, rs1142888, rs1142889 and rs1142890) in the guanylate binding protein 4 (GBP4) were significantly associated with DIALF in non-Finnish Europeans in the pilot study and confirmed in the replication study. Rs561037 and rs561042 were highly significant with the lowest allele frequencies in both pilot and replication studies. An association was also found between these variants and milder clinical outcomes, indicated by lower peak levels of ALT, AST and higher Karnofsky performance scores.
Conclusion:
Our study identified eight GBP4 missense variants linked to a lower risk of DIALF in the non-Finnish European population. The GBP4 protein, activated by interferon-gamma, plays a critical role in innate immunity. These findings suggest that GBP4 variants might influence immune and inflammatory responses in DIALF, though further studies are needed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Physiological Pharmacokinetic Models: Incorporating Hepatic Transporter-Mediated Clearance
A recent model describes pravastatin's hepatobiliary excretion,...
Genome-wide Association Studies-GWAS
GWAS does not require the identification of the target gene involved in...
Factors Affecting Protein-Drug Binding: Patient-Related Factors
Age stands as a key determinant in protein-drug binding. Neonates, characterized by low albumin content, experience heightened concentrations of unbound drugs such as phenytoin and...
Factors Affecting Drug Biotransformation: Biological
Species differences: Variations in enzyme systems across species can cause disparities in drug metabolism. For instance, humans may metabolize certain drugs faster than rodents, altering therapeutic effects.
Strain differences: Genetic variations within a species can result in differing enzyme activity, impacting drug response and toxicity. For example, some mouse strains may...
Hepatic Drug Clearance: Effect of Protein Binding
For low-extraction-ratio drugs that are less than 80% protein-bound, minor changes in protein binding...
Factors Affecting Protein-Drug Binding: Protein-Related Factors
The physicochemical properties of a drug play a significant role in its ability to bind to proteins. Lipophilic drugs, which dissolve in fats, oils, and lipids, can be...

