The Institute of Genetic Engineering discussed the Ph.D. dissertation of student Noor Hassan Kadhim, entitled:
“Association of STAT4 (rs7574865 and rs7582694) Polymorphisms, FOXP3 and STAT4 Gene Expression, and Serum Immunological Markers with the Severity of Lupus Nephritis.”
The dissertation was supervised by Professor Dr. Basma Qasim Hassan.
The study aimed to evaluate the impact of STAT4 gene polymorphisms, assess the gene expression levels of STAT4 and FOXP3, and investigate the relationship between serum IL-6 and IL-23 levels and the pathogenesis of lupus nephritis (LN) in Iraqi patients.
The results demonstrated a significant decrease in STAT4 gene expression among patients (0.692) compared with the control group (1.40; p = 0.011). In contrast, FOXP3 gene expression was significantly increased in patients (2.95) compared with controls (1.697). The study also found significantly elevated serum levels of IL-6 and IL-23 in patients relative to healthy individuals, supporting their potential use as biomarkers for assessing disease severity.
The study recommended investigating additional exons of the STAT4 gene to identify further mutations that could enhance the diagnostic value of molecular assays used in the evaluation of lupus nephritis. It also emphasized the need for further research on lupus nephritis in the Iraqi population, taking into account family selection and the analysis of familial genetic patterns.
