Evaluation of Expression of STAT Genes in Immune-Mediated Polyneuropathies

AbstractImmune-mediated polyneuropathies are acquired conditions that can be categorized to acute and chronic forms based on the disease course. Although the basic mechanism of these conditions has not been clarified yet, genes that regulate immune responses are putative contributors in their development. In the current study, we assessed expression ofsignal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)1-3 andSTAT5a genes in peripheral blood of 51 patients and 40 healthy subjects. Expression ofSTAT1 was higher in female patients compared with female controls (Posterior Beta  = 3.622,P = 0.044). The gender*group interaction was significant for this gene which indicates different direction of association in males and females. Expressions of otherSTAT genes were not different between cases and controls. The diagnostic power ofSTAT1 in female subjects was estimated to be 0.72 with sensitivity of 68.75% and specificity of 84.62%. There was no significant correlation either between expression of differentSTAT genes or between their expression and age of study participants. The current study potentiates STAT1 as a putative factor in the pathophysiology of acquired immune-mediated polyneuropathies in females and suggests conduction of further functional studies to elaborate the molecular mechanism of this contribution.
Source: Journal of Molecular Neuroscience - Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research