Background: Micro-organisms, behaving in a non-infectious fashion, may be among the exogenous factor(s) believed to trigger idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). One possible strategy to identify an individual's susceptibility to such microbial triggers, which are likely to be ubiquitous, is to investigate the molecular processes involved in their recognition. NOD2/CARD15 is a specific pattern recognition receptor protein, whose genetic variants have been previously associated with susceptibility to Crohn's disease.
Aim: The aim of this work was to determine the frequencies of the three major NOD2/CARD 15 gene mutations (R702W, G908R and 1007fsinC) in a series of 76 subjects affected by IPF, and to compare them with those found in three groups of controls: a group with sarcoidosis (a disorder in which an involvement of the NOD2/CARD15 gene has already been investigated and rejected in different ethnic groups; 67 subjects) and two groups of healthy subjects (218 and 208 subjects, respectively), matched for gender, age, and ethnicity.
Results: We found no differences in frequencies of NOD2/CARD15 gene polymorphisms among the four groups investigated.
Conclusion: We conclude that the NOD2/CARD15 gene is not likely to be involved in susceptibility to IPF in Italians.