Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is a rare, life-threatening disorder of the peripheral nervous system. Immunoglobulin G Fc-gamma receptors (FcγRs) mediate and regulate diverse effector functions and are involved in the pathogenesis of GBS. We investigated whether the FcγR polymorphisms FcγRIIa H/R131 (rs1801274), FcγRIIIa V/F158 (rs396991), and FcγRIIIb NA1/NA2, and their haplotype patterns affect the affinity of IgG-FcγR interactivity and influence GBS susceptibility and severity. METHODS: We determined FcγR polymorphisms in 303 patients with GBS and 302 ethnically matched healthy individuals from Bangladesh by allele-specific polymerase chain reaction. Pairwise linkage disequilibrium and haplotype patterns were analyzed based on D ́statistics and the genotype package of R statistics, respectively. Logistic regression analysis and Fisher's exact test with corrected P (Pc) values were employed for statistical comparisons. RESULTS: FcγRIIIa-V158F was associated with the severe form of GBS compared to the mild form (P = 0.005, OR = 2.24, 95% CI = 1.28-3.91; Pc = 0.015); however, FcγR genotypes and haplotype patterns did not show any association with GBS susceptibility compared to healthy controls. FcγRIIIa-V/V158 and FcγRIIIb-NA2/2 were associated with recent Campylobacter jejuni infection (P ≤ 0.001, OR = 0.36, 95% CI = 0.23-0.56; Pc ≤ 0.003 and P = 0.004, OR = 1.70, 95% CI = 1.18-2.44; Pc ≤ 0.012, respectively). Haplotype 1 (FcγRIIa-H131R- FcγRIIIa-V158F- FcγRIIIb-NA1/2) and the FcγRIIIb-NA2/2 genotype were more prevalent among anti-GM1 antibody-positive patients (P = 0.031, OR = 9.61, 95% CI = 1.24-74.77, Pc = 0.279; P = 0.027, OR = 1.62, 95% CI = 1.06-2.5, Pc = 0.081, respectively). INTERPRETATION: FcγR polymorphisms and haplotypes are not associated with susceptibility to GBS, though the FcγRIIIa-V158F genotype is associated with the severity of GBS.