title: The MCP-1 promoter -2518 polymorphism in Behcet's disease: correlation between allele types, MCP-1 production and clinical symptoms among Korean patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the G vs. A variation at the MCP-1 promoter -2518 position among normal Koreans and Behcet patients, and to investigate possible association of this polymorphism with disease pathogenesis.
  
  
  METHODS
  The allele type of -2518 polymorphism was determined by restriction fragment length polymorphism of Pvu II. The level of MCP-1 in serum and culture supernatent was measured by sandwich ELISA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average serum level of MCP-1 in Behcet patients was 2.37 times higher than in normal controls. The serum MCP-1 concentration was higher in G-allele carriers than in AA homozygotes, and symptoms accompanying graver cases of Behcet's disease, such as gastrointestinal inflammation and uveitis, were more frequent in patients with the G-allele. However, the frequency of G-allele in patient group was not higher than that in healthy Koreans, probably due to the dominance of G-allele in general Korean population. When stimulated in vitro with IL-1beta and LPS, the mononuclear cells from patients carrying the G-allele showed a steeper increase in MCP-1 production than the boost observed in AA homozygotes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although the allele frequency of MCP-1 promoter -2518 polymorphism is not likely to be the reason for the elevated serum MCP-1 level in Korean patients with Behcet's disease, it is possible that proinflammatory factors induced in patients' serum cause stronger activation of MCP-1 expression from the G-type promoter, as well as increased incidence of uveitis and gastric ulcer, among carriers of the G-allele.
authors.affiliation: Rheumatism Research Center, Catholic Institutes of Medical Sciences, The Catholic University of Korea, 505 Banpo-Dong, Seocho-Ku, Seoul 137-701 South Korea.
authors.forename: Mi-La
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Ju-Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hyeok-Jae
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.forename: Young-Hoon
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Wan-Uk
authors.initials: WU
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Chul-Soo
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Ho-Youn
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sue-Yun
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Hwang
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D001528:Behcet Syndrome / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D018932:Chemokine CCL2 / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic
chemical_list: D018932:Chemokine CCL2