Genetic Variants in the Promoter Region of the Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor are Associated with the Severity of Hepatitis C Virus-Induced Liver Fibrosis.

Two polymorphisms in the promoter region of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) - rs755622 and rs5844572 - exhibit prognostic relevance in inflammatory diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate a correlation between these MIF promoter polymorphisms and the severity of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-induced liver fibrosis. Our analysis included two independent patient cohorts with HCV-induced liver fibrosis (504 and 443 patients, respectively). The genotype of the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) -173 G/C and the repeat number of the microsatellite polymorphism -794 CATT5-8 were determined in DNA samples and correlated with fibrosis severity. In the first cohort, homozygous carriers of the C allele in the rs755622 had lower fibrosis stages compared to heterozygous carriers or wild types (1.25 vs. 2.0 vs. 2.0; p = 0.03). Additionally, >/=7 microsatellite repeats were associated with lower fibrosis stages (