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Ann Rheum Dis 2007;66:970-973 doi:10.1136/ard.2006.068858
  • Concise report

Interferon-gamma and interleukin-4 gene polymorphisms in Caucasian idiopathic inflammatory myopathy patients in UK

  1. Hector Chinoy1,
  2. Fiona Salway2,
  3. Sally John2,
  4. Noreen Fertig3,
  5. Brian D Tait4,
  6. Chester V Oddis3,
  7. William E R Ollier2,
  8. Robert G Cooper1,
  9. The UK Adult Onset Myositis Immunogenetic Collaboration
  1. 1The University of Manchester Rheumatic Diseases Centre, Hope Hospital, Salford, UK
  2. 2Centre for Integrated Genomic Medical Research, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
  3. 3Division of Rheumatology & Clinical Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
  4. 4Victorian Transplantation and Immunogenetic Service, Australian Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
  1. Correspondence to:
    Dr R G Cooper
    Rheumatic Diseases Centre, Hope Hospital, Salford M6 8HD,UK; robert.g.cooper{at}manchester.ac.uk
  • Accepted 19 March 2007
  • Published Online First 3 April 2007

Abstract

Objective: To determine whether interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and interleukin-4 (IL-4) genes confer susceptibility for the idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs).

Methods: A large cross-sectional study of UK caucasian adults with polymyositis (PM, n = 101), dermatomyositis (DM, n = 94) and myositis overlapping with a connective tissue disease (myositis/CTD-overlap, n = 70) was completed. 177 ethnically matched controls were available for comparison. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within intronic regions coding for IL-4, IFN-γ and a microsatellite marker within intron 1 of the IFN-γ gene were typed.

Results: Strong linkage disequilibrium was present between SNPs in each gene. In the IFN-γ gene, a weak allelic association was observed in PM versus controls at rs1861493 (odds ratio (OR) 1.6, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03 to 2.4). The microsatellite IFN-γ CA(14) allele was associated with risk for IIMs overall (OR 3.3, 95% CI 1.4 to 7.8), the strongest association being observed within the anti-U1-ribonucleoprotein (RNP) group (OR 6.0, 95% CI 1.5 to 23.1), and persisting after adjustment for known myositis human leucocyte antigen (HLA) class II associations.

Conclusions: Genetic markers in the IFN-γ gene demonstrate significant allelic associations with the IIMs in a UK Caucasian population. The SNPs tested in this study within the region coding for IL-4 fail to show significant associations with susceptibility to IIM disease.

Footnotes

  • Competing interests: None declared.

  • Published Online First 3 April 2007

This Article

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