Open Access

ARTICLE

Cytokine single nucleotide polymorphisms in Iranian patients with pulmonary tuberculosis

Ali Akbar Amirzargar¹, Nima Rezaei², Hossein Jabbari³, Abdol-Ali Danesh¹, Farideh Khosravi¹, Mahboubeh Hajabdolbaghi³, Alireza Yalda³, Behrouz Nikbin¹

1 Immunogenetic Laboratory, Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
2 Immunology, Asthma and Allergy Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
3 Infectious Disease Ward of Imam Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

* Corresponding Authors: A.A. Amirzargar, ;

European Cytokine Network 2006, 17(2), 84-89.

Accepted 06 March 2006;

Abstract

Background. Several genes coding for different cytokines may affect host susceptibility totuberculosis. Methods. In the present study, the allele and genotype frequencies of a number polymorphic genescoding for cytokines or cytokine receptors were investigated in Iranian patients with pulmonary tuberculosis(PTB). Results. From the IL-1 cluster, a positive, significant difference was found at position -889, where the T/Tgenotype was over represented in PTB patients (p = 0.01); a positive, significant increase was found in the IL1RPstI 1970 C/C genotype, where the C allele was over represented in the PTB patients (p = 0.01). A significantnegative association at codon 10 TGF-β, T allele, was shown in our patients and the C allele and C/C genotypewere over represented in the PTB patients (P<0.005). For TNF-α at position -238, we found a negative associationfor the G/Agenotype and a positive association for the G/G genotype (p = 0.0009). Significant negative associationsat position -590 IL-4, T allele and the T/T genotype were shown in our patients (p = 0.0007); also, the C allele andT/C genotype were significantly increased in our patients (P<0.05). With IL-6 at -174, G/G increased and G/Cdecreased significantly in the patients (P<0.005). Conclusion. Pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α andTGF-β seem to be decreased, and IL-6 increased in PTB patients.

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Keywords

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