title: Identification of sex-specific associations between polymorphisms of the osteoprotegerin gene, TNFRSF11B, and Paget's disease of bone.
abstract: We studied the role of TNFRSF11B polymorphisms on the risk to develop Paget's disease of bone in a Belgian study population. We observed no association in men, but a highly significant association was found in women, and this was confirmed in a population from the United Kingdom.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Juvenile Paget's disease has been shown to be caused by mutations in TNFRSF11B encoding osteoprotegerin. Although mutations in this gene have never been found in patients with typical Paget's disease of bone (PDB), there are indications that polymorphisms in TNFRSF11B might contribute to the risk of developing PDB.
  
  
  METHODS
  We recruited a population of 131 Belgian patients with sporadic PDB and 171 Belgian controls. By means of the HapMap, we selected 17 SNPs that, in combination with four multimarker tests, contain most information on common genetic variation in TNFRSF11B. To replicate the findings observed in the Belgian study population, genotyping data of SNPs generated in a UK population were reanalyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In our Belgian study population, associations were found for two SNPs (rs11573871, rs1485286) and for one multimarker test involving rs1032129. When subsequently analyzing men and women separately, these associations turned out to be driven by women (56 cases, 78 controls). In addition, three other tagSNPs turned out to be associated in women only. These were rs2073617 (C950T), rs6415470, and rs11573869. Reanalysis of genotyping data from a UK study population indicated that the associations found for C950T and C1181G were also exclusively driven by women (146 cases, 216 controls). Meta-analysis provided evidence for risk increasing effects of the T allele of C950T and the G allele of C1181G in the female population (p = 0.002 and 0.003, respectively). The haplotypes formed by the SNPs associated in the Belgian population were also distributed differentially between female cases and controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We showed for the first time that SNPs influencing the risk to develop PDB could be sex-specific. Further research is necessary to identify the causative variants in TNFRSF11B and to elucidate the molecular pathogenic mechanism.
authors: Department of Medical Genetics, University and University Hospital of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
authors: Greet
authors: G
authors: Beyens
authors: Anna
authors: A
authors: Daroszewska
authors: Fenna
authors: F
authors: de Freitas
authors: Erik
authors: E
authors: Fransen
authors: Filip
authors: F
authors: Vanhoenacker
authors: Leon
authors: L
authors: Verbruggen
authors: Hans-Georg
authors: HG
authors: Zmierczak
authors: René
authors: R
authors: Westhovens
authors: Jan
authors: J
authors: Van Offel
authors: Stuart H
authors: SH
authors: Ralston
authors: Jean-Pierre
authors: JP
authors: Devogelaer
authors: Wim
authors: W
authors: Van Hul
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001530:Belgium; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D005091:Exons / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006239:Haplotypes; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015201:Meta-Analysis as Topic; D008875:Middle Aged; D010001:Osteitis Deformans / Q000235:genetics*; D053244:Osteoprotegerin / Q000235:genetics*; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics*; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D006113:United Kingdom
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D053244:Osteoprotegerin