XIAP gene mutation screening in children with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis

Abstract:

Objective To investigate the prevalence of mutations and sequence variations in X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis (XIAP) gene among Chinese pediatric patients with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). Methods Sixty-five children who were diagnosed with HLH between January 2009 and December 2012 (case group), as well as 70 healthy children (control group), were enrolled in the study. The exons of XIAP gene (1-1, 1-2, 2-6) were amplified by PCR and directly sequenced. The genotypic and allelic frequencies of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) were analyzed. Results None of the HLH patients showed mutations in these exons of XIAP gene. Only one nonsynonymous SNP, rs5956583 located in exon 5, was observed, but there were no significant differences in the genotypic and allelic frequencies of this SNP between the case and control groups (P>0.05). Conclusions HLH caused by XIAP mutations may be rare in children. SNP rs5956583 of XIAP gene may have little contribution to the development of childhood HLH.