FOXP3 Gene Variants in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Association with Disease Susceptibility in Men and Relationship with Abortion in Women.

Background: FOXP3, an important transcription factor of regulatory T cells has shown a contribution to the development of various autoimmune diseases.

Objectives: To investigate the influence of FOXP3 polymorphisms (rs3761548 and rs2294021) on systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) susceptibility and patients' characteristics.

Methods: Genotyping was performed on 265 patients with SLE and 404 healthy controls using PCR-RFLP.

Interleukin-27 gene variant rs153109 is associated with enhanced cytokine serum levels and susceptibility to Behçet's disease in the Iranian population.

Behcet's disease (BD) is a systemic vasculitis, characterized by recurrent oral aphthous, genital ulcers, ocular lesions, and other organ involvement. Interleukin (IL)-27 with its pro- and anti-inflammatory effects might be an important effective cytokine in this disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of IL-27 serum concentration and a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs153109 (-964 A > G) with the risk and clinical features of the patients with BD.