No association of vitamin D binding protein gene polymorphisms with ulcerative colitis in Chinese patients

Abstract Object Vitamin D (VD) deficiency has been reported in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), and polymorphism in the gene encoding the vitamin D binding protein (DBP) can affect the characteristics of DBP, thus affecting the level and function of VD in vivo . Previous studies have rarely reported on the potential relationship between DBP polymorphisms and UC. To investigate the associations between genetic variants in DBP genes and UC susceptibility in the Han Chinese population, in order to discern whether any differences exist between this population and those of other countries.Methods In this case-control study, the genotyping of DBP rs4588 and rs7041 polymorphisms was conducted using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-ligase detection reactions, and the rs4588 and rs7041 genotypes were detected by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism.Results In our case-control cohort, no significant difference was observed in the UC risk for either of the two SNPs (rs4588 and rs7401) in the DBP genes ( P > 0.05). No association between UC susceptibility and the DBP gene haplotypes was found either.Conclusions Our results suggest that the two SNPs (rs4588 and rs7401) in the DBP genes may have no correlation with susceptibility to UC in the Chinese Han population. But interestingly, haplotype GC, which contains the rs4588 and rs7041 variants in the DBP gene, may affect the level of oxidative stress in UC patients, especially the level of MDA.