Genetic Analysis of IL-17 Gene Polymorphisms in Gout in a Male Chinese Han Population

PLoS One. 2016 Feb 18;11(2):e0148082. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0148082. eCollection 2016.

Abstract

Interleukin (IL)-17 is a proinflammatory cytokine mainly secreted by activated T helper 17 cells and involved in inflammatory immune responses. This study aimed to investigate the association between IL-17 variants as well as serum IL-17 levels with gout in male Chinese Han individuals. A total of 1,101 male gout patients and 1,239 ethic-matched controls were enrolled. Genetic distributions of three variants (rs2275913 in IL-17A, rs763780 in IL-17F, and rs4819554 in IL-17RA) were detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction using the Taqman probe method. The plasma concentrations of IL-17A and IL-17F were measured in 228 gout patients and 198 controls that came from above samples by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. No significant differences were observed in the genetic distribution of these polymorphisms between cases and controls (rs2275913: χ2 = 0.15, p = 0.928 by genotype, χ2 = 0.14, p = 0.711 by allele; rs763780: χ2 = 2.24, p = 0.326 by genotype, χ2 = 0.26, p = 0.609 by allele; rs4819554: χ2 = 1.79, p = 0.409 by genotype, χ2 = 1.46, p = 0.227 by allele). Levels of serum IL-17A and IL-17F were significantly decreased in gout patients (both p<0.001). However, no difference was observed in acute gout patients between different genotypic carriers of rs2275913 and rs763780 regarding serum IL-17A and IL-17F levels (p>0.05). Although the genetic variants in IL-17 we studied in this research do not appear to be involved in the development of gout in male Chinese Han individuals, the IL-17 cytokine family may participate in gouty inflammation in an undefined way, which requires further validation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Alleles
  • Asian People / genetics*
  • Biomarkers
  • Case-Control Studies
  • China
  • Gene Frequency
  • Genetic Association Studies*
  • Genetic Predisposition to Disease*
  • Genotype
  • Gout / blood
  • Gout / genetics*
  • Humans
  • Interleukin-17 / blood
  • Interleukin-17 / genetics*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide*

Substances

  • Biomarkers
  • Interleukin-17

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the National Science Foundation of China (31371272), and the funder played no role in the research.