title: Cytokine gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to juvenile idiopathic arthritis. British Paediatric Rheumatology Study Group.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the involvement of candidate cytokine genes in the pathogenesis of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).
  
  
  METHODS
  Single nucleotide polymorphisms and intragenic microsatellite markers within 8 candidate cytokine genes (interleukin-1alpha [IL-1alpha], IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, interferon-alpha1 [IFNA1], interferon-gamma [IFNG], and interferon regulatory factor 1 [IRF-1]) were investigated in 417 Caucasian patients with clinically characterized JIA and a panel of 276 unrelated, healthy Caucasian controls, all from the United Kingdom.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A novel 3'-untranslated region (3'UTR) polymorphism in IRF-1 was found to be associated with susceptibility to JIA (corrected P = 0.002). No significant association with IL-1alpha, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IFNA1, or IFNG was observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  An association between JIA and a previously unreported 3'UTR polymorphism of IRF-1 was observed. This association was not found to be specific to any particular JIA subgroup. This suggests that IRF-1 may contribute to a common pathogenesis shared by all JIA patients, regardless of clinical phenotype. This is most likely to be a genetic contribution to the chronic inflammatory process that underlies JIA pathology.
authors.affiliation: Arthritis Research Campaign Epidemiology Unit, Manchester, UK.
authors.forename: R P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Donn
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Barrett
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Farhan
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stopford
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pepper
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Shelley
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.forename: W E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Ollier
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Thomson
mesh_terms: D020413:3' Untranslated Regions; D001171:Arthritis, Juvenile / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016207:Cytokines / Q000235:genetics*; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000737:chemistry; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D005787:Gene Frequency; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D050856:Interferon Regulatory Factor-1; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000235:genetics; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
chemical_list: D020413:3' Untranslated Regions; D016207:Cytokines; D017931:DNA Primers; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C494257:IRF1 protein, human; D050856:Interferon Regulatory Factor-1; D010750:Phosphoproteins