title: Polymorphisms of the IL-8 and CXCR2 genes are not associated with Behçet's disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Genetic susceptibility to Behçet's disease (BD) is well documented for HLA-B51; however, contribution of other genetic polymorphisms is estimated to be substantial. Interleukin 8 (IL-8), a potent chemoattractant for neutrophils, has been found to be elevated in BD serum, and the serum concentrations correlate with disease activity. Novel polymorphisms in IL-8 (CXCL8) and in one of its receptors, CXCR2 gene, may have a role in enhanced IL-8 activity in BD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP; -353 A/G, +1530 T/C, +3331 A/G) of the IL-8 gene and 2 SNP (+785 C/T and +1208 T/C) of the CXCR2 gene were screened in 100 patients with BD (61 men, 39 women, mean age 42.1 yrs) and 100 healthy controls (50 men, 50 women, mean age 36.8 yrs) by genotyping with PCR-RFLP and PCR-SSP methods.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No differences were observed between BD patients and controls for the allele and genotype frequencies of the screened IL-8 and CXCR2 gene polymorphisms. Distribution of these polymorphisms revealed no significant differences between clinical subgroups of BD patients. Each pair of the SNP -353/+1530, -353/+3331, and +1530/+3331 of IL-8 and +785/+1208 of CXCR2 showed strong linkage disequilibrium in both patients and controls (p < 0.001 for all). The distribution of the estimated IL-8 and CXCR2 haplotypes revealed no association with BD or any of its clinical subsets.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that the IL-8 gene -353 A/G, +1530 T/C, and +3331 A/G and the CXCR2 gene +785 C/T and +1208 T/C polymorphisms have no role in the increased expression of IL-8 in BD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Institute for Experimental Medical Research, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Jülide
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Duymaz-Tozkir
authors.forename: Vuslat
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Yilmaz
authors.forename: F Aytül
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Uyar
authors.forename: Ali H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Hajeer
authors.forename: Güher
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Saruhan-Direskeneli
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gül
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001528:Behcet Syndrome / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D016209:Interleukin-8 / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D023063:Receptors, Interleukin-8B / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016209:Interleukin-8; D023063:Receptors, Interleukin-8B; D004247:DNA