Association of the oestrogen receptor alpha gene polymorphisms with disease onset in systemic lupus erythematosus.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the genetic influence of PvuII and XbaI polymorphisms of oestrogen receptor alpha (ORalpha) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in Korea.


METHODS
Genomic DNA from 268 female controls and 137 female SLE patients (41 childhood onset and 96 adult onset) were analysed using PvuII and XbaI restriction fragment length polymorphism. Comparison of the frequencies of alleles and genotypes was made in control and patient groups and in childhood onset and adult onset SLE subgroups.


RESULTS
Although the Pp genotype occurred more often in SLE patients than in controls (p(c) = 0.017), ORalpha genotype distributions of adult onset SLE did not differ significantly from controls. The PP, Pp, and xx genotypes occurred less often in childhood onset SLE (p(c) = 0.0045, 0.0498, and 0.0255, respectively) than in controls. Additionally, the PP genotype was less common in childhood onset than in adult onset SLE (p(c) = 0.016). SLE patients with the PP genotypes were older at disease onset than those with the other genotypes (p = 0.001). Patients with the Xx genotype had an earlier onset of SLE than those with the xx genotype (p = 0.025). The frequency of the combined ppXx genotype was greater in childhood onset SLE than in controls (p(c) = 0.0009) or adult onset SLE (p(c) = 0.027). The same trend was supported by subgroup analyses according to age at menarche and logistic multivariate analyses.


CONCLUSIONS
ORalpha polymorphisms are significantly associated with the age at disease onset in Koreans with SLE.
Lee
Y J
YJ
Department of Paediatrics, College of Medicine, Cheju National University, 1 Ara 1(il)-dong, Jeju, Jeju-do 690-756, Korea.
Shin
K S
KS
Kang
S W
SW
Lee
C K
CK
Yoo
B
B
Cha
H S
HS
Koh
E M
EM
Yoon
S J
SJ
Lee
J
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D047628:Estrogen Receptor alpha; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000235:genetics*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000235:genetics*
D047628:Estrogen Receptor alpha; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen