title: Tumor necrosis factor promoter polymorphisms in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in Taiwan.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the association of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) promoter polymorphisms with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Taiwan.
  
  
  METHODS
  TNF promoter polymorphisms at positions -238, -244, -308, -376, -857, and -863 were determined in 97 patients with RA and 97 healthy controls using the PCR-RFLP method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The phenotypic frequency of TNF-308A was significantly lower in patients with RA than in healthy controls. This finding can only be found in HLA-DR4 negative patients, not in DR4 positive RA patients and controls. The TNF promoter polymorphisms at positions -238, -244, -308, -376, -857, and -863 were not related to the clinical manifestations of RA patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TNF-308A itself or a neighboring gene may be a protective factor for the development of RA in the HLA-DR4 negative population in Taiwan. TNF promoter polymorphisms were not associated with the clinical manifestations of patients with RA in Taiwan.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Yen
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: W C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: T T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Ou
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: H W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D005787:Gene Frequency; D006801:Humans; D010641:Phenotype; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D015995:Prevalence; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha