Influence of the STAT3 genetic variants in the susceptibility to psoriatic arthritis and Behcet's disease

Objective: Signal-transducer and activator of transcription protein 3 (STAT3) gene encodes a transducer and transcription factor that plays an important role in many cellular processes such as cell growth, apoptosis and immune response. Several STAT3 genetic variants have been associated to different autoimmune diseases. Our aim was to reveal the possible STAT3 influence in other immune-mediated diseases such as psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and Behcet disease (BD).

Methods: The STAT3 rs744166 and rs2293152 polymorphisms were genotyped using predesigned TaqMan® assays in a total of 335 PsA patients, 217 BD patients, and 1844 ethnically matched healthy controls of Spanish Caucasian origin.

Results: A statistically significant association of the STAT3 rs744166(∗)G allele with PsA was observed (P-value=1.36×10(-3), OR 1.35). The detected effect was more evident when the rs744166(∗)GG homozygote frequencies were compared between PsA patients and controls (genotype P-value=9.77×10(-5), OR 1.82). In contrast, the allele and genotypic distributions of rs744166 polymorphism showed no significant differences between patients with BD and control subjects (allelic P-value=0.80, OR 1.03). Additionally, no evidence of association was detected between the rs2293152 genetic variant and both studied diseases.

Conclusion: Our results suggest for the first time that the STAT3 gene might be involved in PsA but not in Behcet's disease predisposition.