Related Experiment Videos
Asporin repeat polymorphism in rheumatoid arthritis.
B Torres1, G Orozco, J R García-Lozano
1Servicio de Inmunología, Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío, Sevilla, Spain.
Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
|May 19, 2006
Summary
The asporin D repeat polymorphism does not appear to influence rheumatoid arthritis susceptibility. However, specific alleles may affect disease outcomes, such as rheumatoid factor production and age of onset.
Area of Science:
- Genetics
- Rheumatology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Asporin is a protein associated with the cartilage matrix.
- The ASPN gene encodes asporin.
- Genetic variations in asporin may influence cartilage-related diseases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the association between the asporin aspartic acid (D) repeat polymorphism in the ASPN gene and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) susceptibility.
- To investigate the impact of this polymorphism on the clinical outcomes of RA patients.
Main Methods:
- Genotyping of the asporin D repeat polymorphism using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with fluorescent primers.
- Study included 803 Spanish Caucasian RA patients and 904 controls.
- Analysis compared allele distribution and clinical parameters between patients and controls.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in allele distribution were found between RA patients and controls.
- Individuals with the D14 allele showed higher rheumatoid factor production (85.7% vs 72.1%).
- A trend towards a later age of onset was observed in individuals with the D13 allele (50.09 years vs 47.21 years).
Conclusions:
- The asporin D repeat polymorphism is unlikely to be a major factor in rheumatoid arthritis susceptibility.
- Evidence suggests the ASPN gene may influence rheumatoid arthritis disease outcomes, including seropositivity and potentially age of onset.