Association between estrogen receptor-β gene polymorphisms and systemic lupus erythematosus in Guangxi Han ethinic women

Objective To investigate the distribution of estrogen receptor-β(ERβ) gene polymorphisms in female patients with systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE) in Guangxi province(all Han people),and discuss the relationship between ERβ gene polymorphisms and their clinical presentations.Methods RsaⅠ and AluⅠ restriction fragment length polymorphisms(RFLP) of ERβ gene were performed in 78 female patients with SLE and 100 female controls by using PCR-RFLP technique.The relationship between different ERβ genotypes and their clinical presentations was analyzed.Results There were no significant differences in frequencies of genotype and allele of ERβ between the Han ethinic patients with SLE and controls(P0.05).But,the frequency of the RR genotype was significantly higher than the that of other genotypes in the patients with lupus nephritis(LN),and so did the Aa genotype in patients with erythema on cheeks(P0.05).Conclusion There are no significant differences in the frequencies of genotypes and alleles of RsaⅠ and AluⅠ in ERβ between female patients with SLE and female controls in Guangxi province(all Han people),but the RR genotype may be associated with the susceptibility of LN in female patients,and the probability of this kind of clinical presentation of SLE-erythema on cheeks may be related to Aa genotype.