Interleukin 6 gene promoter polymorphism is not associated with ankylosing spondylitis.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the possible association between the recently described interleukin 6 (IL-6) promoter polymorphisms at position -174, and susceptibility to ankylosing spondylitis (AS).


METHODS
Ninety-two patients with AS, 157 healthy controls, and an additional group of 52 HLA-B27 positive unrelated individuals were included in this study. The -174 polymorphic site in the promoter region of IL-6 gene was typed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism.


RESULTS
No statistically significant differences were observed when IL-6 promoter genotype and allele distribution between patients with AS and healthy controls were compared.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest the -174 IL-6 polymorphism does not play an important role in susceptibility to AS. Larger studies are needed to provide more conclusive evidence on the role of -174 IL-6 polymorphism in AS.
Collado-Escobar
M D
MD
Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina López Neyra, CSIC, Granada, Spain.
Nieto
A
A
Matarán
L
L
Raya
E
E
Martín
J
J
D000483:Alleles; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D015796:HLA-B27 Antigen / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000235:genetics*; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D013030:Spain; D013167:Spondylitis, Ankylosing / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology
D015796:HLA-B27 Antigen; D015850:Interleukin-6