<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><xml><records><record><source-app name="HighWire" version="7.x">Drupal-HighWire</source-app><ref-type name="Journal Article">17</ref-type><contributors><authors><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Kanemitsu, Satomi</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Ihara, Kenji</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Saifddin, Ahmed</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Otsuka, Takeshi</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Takeuchi, Tsutomu</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Nagayama, Jun</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Kuwano, Michihiko</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Hara, Toshiro</style></author></authors><secondary-authors></secondary-authors></contributors><titles><title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">A functional polymorphism in fas (CD95/APO-1) gene promoter associated with systemic lupus erythematosus.</style></title><secondary-title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">The Journal of Rheumatology</style></secondary-title></titles><dates><year><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2002</style></year><pub-dates><date><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2002-06-01 00:00:00</style></date></pub-dates></dates><pages><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">1183-1188</style></pages><volume><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">29</style></volume><issue><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">6</style></issue><abstract><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether Fas promoter polymorphisms show a genetic contribution to the development of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in a Japanese population, and to study the functional difference in promoter activity of the polymorphisms. METHODS: In 109 SLE patients and 140 controls, the frequencies of A/G polymorphisms at -670 nucleotide position and G/A at -1377 nucleotide position were determined by allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or PCR-single strand conformation polymorphism analysis. The functional significance of the -670A/G polymorphism in the Fas gene was evaluated by a combination of Fas transcriptional activity in the reporter gene assay and binding activity of signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) 1 protein in the electrophoretic mobility shift assay. RESULTS: SLE patients exhibited significantly higher frequency of A allele at nucleotide position -670 (p = 0.004). There was no significant difference in the nucleotide position -1377 in Fas promoter gene between SLE patients and controls. The electrophoretic mobility shift assay demonstrated that the oligonucleotide with -670A in the Fas promoter had a higher binding ability to a GAS binding protein, STAT1, than that with -670G, although there was no statistically significant difference in the reporter gene assay. CONCLUSION: Fas promoter -670A/G polymorphism was significantly associated with SLE, suggesting a possibility that Fas promoter contributes, at least in part, to the pathogenesis of SLE.</style></abstract></record></records></xml>