Research Article
Christina Mary Mariaselvam,
Abstract
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is characterized by progressive joint damage predominantly mediated by proinflammatory molecules including the tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α). Several studies have addressed the relationship between diversity of TNF-α gene and susceptibility to RA and its clinical phenotypes but the results have been inconsistent. We conducted a case-control study to analyze the potential influence of three functionally relevant TNF-α promoter variants on RA incidence and disease phenotypes and serum TNF-α levels in a genetically homogeneous south Indian Tamil population. Genomic DNA from 269 RA patients and 233 healthy controls (HC) were analyzed by TaqMan 5’-nuclease assay for the distribution of the following SNPs: TNF-α -857 C>T (rs1799724), TNF-α -308 G>A (rs1800629) and TNF-α -238 G>A (rs 361525). We found that the frequency of the TNF-α -238 GG genotype and G allele was higher in patients as compared to controls [Pc: 0.004, OR: 2.01, CI 95%: 1.23-3.29 and Pc: 0.004, OR: 1.89, CI 95%: 1.22-2.97 respectively]. The genotype and allele frequency of TNF-α -857 C>T and -308 G>A polymorphisms did not differ between patients and controls. Haplotype analysis revealed that the frequency of ancestral TNF-α (-857,-308,-238) C-G-G haplotype was more in patients than in HC (80% vs 74%, P: 0.03, OR: 1.39, CI 95%: 1.02-1.89). The CGA haplotype was found at a higher frequency in HC than in patients (10.6% vs 7%, P: 0.03, OR: 0.61, CI 95%: 0.38-0.96). We also found that TNF-α-857T allele was associated with significantly high titers of circulating TNF-α. Our data suggest that TNF-α -238 G allele, -238 GG genotype and the TNF-α –C-G-G ancestral haplotype may be associated with susceptibility to RA. In addition, the TNF-α-857 C>T variant might influence the TNF-α production.