The -56T HLA-G promoter polymorphism is not associated with pre-eclampsia/eclampsia in Australian and New Zealand women

Objective: Decreased HLA-G expression has been linked to a number of pregnancy disorders, including preeclampsia, and a genetic basis for HLA-G regulation has yet to be found. The aim of this study was to determine whether a C-to-T base substitution 56 base pairs (bp) upstream from the HLA-G transcription start site is associated with preeclampsia. Methods: 277 nulliparous women consisting of 113 normotensive, 118 preeclamptic, and 46 eclamptic patients were typed for the -56T polymorphism using restriction fragment length polymorphism and allelic discrimination analysis. Results: -56T allele frequencies for eclamptic, preeclamptic, and normotensive women were 0.053, 0.030, and 0.035, respectively. A χ 2 test indicated that there was no significant association with the polymorphism in preeclamptic or eclamptic women with p > 0.05. Conclusion: The -56T HLA-G polymorphism is not associated with preeclampsia or eclampsia in our population.