Lack of Ser267Phe variant of sodium taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide among Moroccans regardless of hepatitis B virus infection status

The sodium taurocholate co-transporting polypeptide, encoded by SLC10A1, was identified as a functional receptor for hepatitis B virus (HBV). The objective of this study was to determine if there was an association of the Ser267Phe variant (rs2296651) with HBV infection status in Moroccan patients. Using a TaqMan 5' allelic discrimination assay, the Ser267Phe variant was genotyped in 286 chronic hepatitis B patients, 135 individuals with spontaneous clearance from HBV infection and 109 healthy controls negative for hepatitis B serological markers. In this cohort, we detected only wild-type genotype (S267S) in all groups. This polymorphism was not associated with the HBV infection status in Moroccan patients. The S267F variant is absent among Moroccans regardless of chronic HBV infection status.