Tolllike receptor 4 (TLR4) polymorphisms in Tunisian patients with Crohn's disease: genotype-phenotype correlation.
BACKGROUND
The immune responses to bacterial products through the pattern recognition receptor (PRR) play a pivotal role in pathogenesis of Crohn's disease. A recent study described an association between CD and some gene coding for bacterial receptor like NOD2/CARD15 gene and TLR4. In this study, we sought to determine whether TLR4 gene was associated with Crohn's disease (CD) among the Tunisian population and its correlation with clinical manifestation of the disease.


METHODS
90 patients with CD and 80 healthy individuals are genotyped for the Asp299Gly and Thr399Ile polymorphisms by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis.


RESULTS
The allele and genotype frequency of the TLR4 polymorphisms did not differ between patients and controls. The genotype-phenotype correlation permitted to show that the Thr399Ile polymorphism was associated with early onset disease.


CONCLUSIONS
this study reported the absence of association between CD and TLR4 gene in the Tunisian population, but this gene could play a role in clinical expression of the disease.
Zouiten-Mekki
Lilia
L
Department of Gastroenterology A, La Rabta Hospital - 1007, Tunisia. w.mekki@laposte.net
Kharrat
Maher
M
Karoui
Sami
S
Serghimi
Mariem
M
Fekih
Monia
M
Matri
Samira
S
Kallel
Lamia
L
Boubaker
Jalel
J
Filali
Azza
A
Chaabouni
Habiba
H
D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency / Q000235:genetics; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010641:Phenotype; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics*; D051197:Toll-Like Receptor 4 / Q000235:genetics*; D014416:Tunisia
C495345:TLR4 protein, human; D051197:Toll-Like Receptor 4