The Effects of Gene Polymorphisms in Interleukin-4 and Interleukin-6 on the Susceptibility of Rheumatoid Arthritis in a Chinese Population

• Published in: BioMed research international 2014-01, Vol.2014 (2014), p.1-5
• Main Authors: Wang, Yan, Shi, Lewis, Lian, Zijian, Bai, Yang, Xu, Meng, Ni, Ming, Li, Xiang, Chai, Wei
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alleles; Arthritis, Rheumatoid - genetics; Asian People - genetics; Autoimmune diseases; Case-Control Studies; Disease susceptibility; Female; Gene Frequency - genetics; Genes; Genetic aspects; Genetic polymorphisms; Genetic Predisposition to Disease - genetics; Genotype; Humans; Immune system; Interleukin-4 - genetics; Interleukin-6 - genetics; Interleukins; Male; Medical research; Middle Aged; Physiological aspects; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide - genetics; Promoter Regions, Genetic - genetics; Rheumatoid arthritis; Studies
• ISSN: 2314-6133; 2314-6141
• DOI: 10.1155/2014/265435

Background. Interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) have been reported to associate with pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA); however, the role of IL-4 and IL-6 genetic polymorphisms in RA remains unknown. Method. A total of 752 unrelated Chinese patients with RA and 798 healthy Chinese volunteers with no family histories of any autoimmune diseases were recruited. The promoter IL-4-590 C/T and IL-6-174 G/C polymorphisms were genotyped. Result. The genotype distributions and allele frequencies of IL-4-590 C/T and IL-6-174 G/C polymorphisms in RA patients were significantly different from healthy volunteers. Statistically significant differences were observed in genotypes for IL-4-590 and IL-6-174. The frequencies of both the T allele on the IL-4-590 and the C on the IL-6-174 were significantly increased in RA patients. Conclusion. The IL-4-590 and IL-6-174 promoter polymorphisms may be associated with increased risk of RA and could be used as genetic marker for assessing the susceptibility and severity of RA in Chinese.