title: Association of the polymorphism of MMP2 with the risk and severity of lumbar disc degeneration in the Chinese Han population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The present study aimed to determine whether the -735 C/T polymorphism of the Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2) gene is associated with the risk and severity of lumbar disc degeneration (LDD) in the Chinese Han population.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 1008 patients with LDD and 906 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. The grade of disc degeneration was determined according to Schneiderman's classification for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). The -735 C/T polymorphism of MMP2 was genotyped using polymerase chain reaction and the restriction fragment length polymorphism method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The genotype frequency of the -735 C/T polymorphism was in agreement with the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (p = 0.087). The frequencies of the -735CT and TT genotypes were significantly lower among LDD patients compared with normal controls (p < 0.001); CT and TT genotype were significantly associated with a decreased risk of LDD compared with the CC genotype (for TT genotype, p = 0.031; OR 0.413; 95% CI 0.184-0.924; for CT genotype, p < 0.001, OR 0.645, 95% CI 0.506-0.822). Patients with LDD showed significantly higher frequencies of the C allele than normal controls (p < 0.001), T allele was significantly associated with a decreased risk of LDD compared with the C allele (p < 0.001; OR 0.631; 95% CI 0.508-0.783). In addition, the -735TT and CT genotypes, as well as the T allele were associated with lower degenerative grades of LDD compared with CC genotype and the C allele, respectively (both p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The -735 C/T polymorphism of MMP2 may be associated with the risk and severity of LDD in the Chinese Han population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Qiu
mesh_terms: D044466:Asian People; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D055959:Intervertebral Disc Degeneration / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics*; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae; D008297:Male; D020778:Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 / Q000235:genetics*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D012306:Risk
chemical_list: C522361:MMP2 protein, human; D020778:Matrix Metalloproteinase 2