[Relationship between interleukin 28B, equilibrative nucleoside transporters 1 gene polymorphisms and spontaneous clearance of HCV in HIV/HCV co-infectors]

OBJECTIVE: To explore the association between interleukin 28B (IL-28B), equilibrative nucleoside transporters 1 (ENT1) gene polymorphisms and spontaneous clearance of HCV in HIV/HCV co-infectors in Hunan province.

METHODS: Genotypes of IL-28B and ENT1 (rs12980275, rs12979860, rs8099917 and rs760370) were analyzed in 107 HIV/HCV co-infectors in Hunan province and the distributions of gene polymorphisms were compared between chronic hepatitis and spontaneous clearance groups.

RESULTS: The major genotypes in rs12980275, rs12979860 and rs8099917 of IL-28B were AA, CC and TT in HIV/HCV co-infectors, which accounted for 84.1% of each. The three single nucleotide polymorphisms were highly linkage disequilibrium (r² > 0.94) and the differences of genotype distribution were statistically significant between chronic hepatitis and the spontaneous clearance groups (P < 0.05). Infectors which carrying the major genotypes were more susceptible to spontaneous clearance of HCV. Differences of the genotype distributions in rs760370 of ENT1 were not statistically significant between the two groups.

CONCLUSION: Genotypes AA, CC and TT of IL-28B were related to spontaneous clearance of HCV in HIV/HCV co-infectors.