Individual Variations in Anti-αvβ6 Autoantibody Levels Determined by ITGAV Gene Polymorphisms: Associations with...

Area of Science:

• Immunogenetics
• Gastroenterology
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Integrin αvβ6 and anti-αvβ6 autoantibodies (V6 Ab) are implicated in ulcerative colitis (UC).
• The impact of ITGAV gene single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on V6 Ab levels and disease relapse in UC remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between ITGAV gene polymorphisms and serum V6 Ab levels in UC patients.
• To evaluate the relationship between ITGAV SNPs and 1-year relapse risk in mild UC.
• To assess the predictive value of V6 Ab levels for relapse.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 61 UC patients.
• Examination of four ITGAV SNPs (rs3911238, rs3768777, rs1448427, rs10174098) and their correlation with V6 Ab levels.
• Evaluation of SNP-relapse association and V6 Ab predictive performance using ROC analysis in patients with mild disease (partial Mayo score 0 or 1).

Main Results:

• Variant alleles in all four ITGAV SNPs were associated with significantly higher V6 Ab levels.
• Patients with mild UC experiencing relapse showed higher frequencies of rs3768777, rs10174098, and rs1448427 variants.
• V6 Ab levels demonstrated good predictive performance for relapse (AUC=0.78), with high sensitivity and negative predictive value at a specific threshold.

Conclusions:

• ITGAV gene polymorphisms contribute to inter-individual variability in V6 Ab levels and are linked to increased relapse risk in UC.
• Low V6 Ab levels can reliably exclude relapse in UC patients.
• Combining V6 Ab titers with ITGAV SNP data may enable precise patient stratification for personalized UC management.