Lack of Association Between –384 and 114 IL-2 Gene Polymorphisms and Rheumatoid Arthritis

MARIA FEDETZ, FUENCISLA MATESANZ, RAFAEL CÁLIZ, MIGUEL ANGEL FERRER, MARIA DOLORES COLLADO, ANTONIO ALCINA, and JAVIER MARTÍN

ABSTRACT.

Objective. To investigate the association of 2 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) at positions –384 and 114 in the human interleukin 2 (IL-2) gene with susceptibility to and severity of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods. Genotyping for these IL-2 variants was performed by a polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism method in 174 RA patients and 153 control individuals.

Results. No statistically significant differences were observed when the –384 and 114 IL-2 genotype distributions between RA patients and healthy controls were compared. In addition, no association was found between the IL-2 genotypes with any demographic and clinical variables tested.

Conclusion. Our results provide no evidence for genetic association conferred by the –384 and 114 IL-2 SNP with respect to susceptibility and severity of RA. (J Rheumatol 2003;30:435-7)

Key Indexing Terms:

INTERLEUKIN 2
GENE
PROMOTER
SUSCEPTIBILITY
SINGLE NUCLEOTIDE POLYMORPHISM
RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

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From the Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina López-Neyra, CSIC, and the Sección Reumatología, Hospital Virgen de las Nieves, Granada, Spain.

Supported by grants SAF00-213 from CICYT, FIS01/3149 and PM 99/0101 from MCYT. Dr. Fedetz is the recipient of an AECI Fellowship.

M. Fedetz, PhD; F. Matesanz, PhD; M.D. Collado, PhD; A. Alcina, PhD, Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina López-Neyra; M.A. Ferrer, MD; R. Cáliz, MD, PhD; Sección Reumatología, Hospital Virgen de las Nieves; J. Martín, MD, PhD, Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina López-Neyra.

Address reprint requests to Dr. J. Martín, Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina "López Neyra," CSIC C/ Ventanilla nº 11, 18001 Granada, Spain. E-mail: martin@ipb.csic.es

Submitted March 28, 2002; revision accepted August 30, 2002.

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