ASSOCIATION OF FOXP3 GENE VARIANTS WITH RISK OF HASHIMOTO'S THYROIDITIS AND CORRELATION WITH ANTI-TPO ANTIBODY LEVELS

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) have critical roles in preventing autoimmune diseases such as Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT). Forkhead box P3 (Foxp3), the master transcription factor of Tregs, plays a pivotal role in Treg function. Herein, we investigated the association of two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the Foxp3 gene with HT development. A total of 129 HT patients and 127 healthy subjects were genotyped for rs3761548 (-3279 A/C) and rs3761549 (-2383 C/T) in the Foxp3 gene, using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Genotypic and allelic distribution of rs3761548 SNP showed a significant association with HT. The CC genotype was observed in 37.2% of patients 22.1% of the controls [P