Objective:

Fc receptor-like 3 (FCRL3) is a novel autoimmune activator with an immunoregulatory role in several autoimmune disorders, including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We aimed to assess FCRL3 gene polymorphism in the risk of nephritis and different clinical and laboratory parameters in Egyptian SLE patients. 

Materials and Methods:

The study categorized SLE patients into two groups with and without lupus nephritis (LN) and compared them with healthy controls. SLE patients underwent clinical and laboratory assessment. Single nucleotide polymorphism of the FCRL3 gene was done at positions −169A/G rs7528684 and −110C/T rs11264799.

Results:

The study included 47 SLE patients divided into patients with and without lupus nephritis (LN) and 40 healthy controls. SLE patients with LN had higher disease activity, were positive for anti-DNA, and had disturbed kidney and liver functions, disturbed hematological parameters, higher inflammatory markers, and lower immunological markers (complement 3 and 4) levels than patients without nephritis. Statistical analysis showed no deviation of genotype frequencies of rs7528648 and rs11264799 of FCRL3 gene from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium, neither in SLE patients compared to controls nor in SLE patients with nephritis compared to patients without nephritis.

Conclusion:

For the rs7528648 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), the C allele and the CC genotype were non-significantly higher in SLE patients than in patients without nephritis. The rs11264799 SNP showed that the frequency of the G allele and the GG genotype was non-significantly higher in LN patients, while the frequency of the A allele was higher among patients without nephritis.

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