Evaluation of TLR2, TLR4, and TOLLIP polymorphisms for their role in tuberculosis susceptibility

Previous studies indicated that single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of genes coding for toll-like receptors (TLRs) and toll-interacting protein (TOLLIP) may be involved in the pathogenesis of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). This study was designed to investigate potential associations between the polymorphisms in TLR2, TLR4, and TOLLIP and susceptibility to latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) or subsequent PTB in a Chinese Han population. A total of 209 PTB and 201 LTBI patients and 204 healthy control subjects (HCS) were enrolled in our study. We performed a logistic regression including sex and age as covariates to test the effect of genotype. Genotyping was conducted using the improved multiplex ligase detection reaction (iMLDR). Eleven markers in TLR2, TLR4, and TOLLIP were assessed. No significant association between polymorphisms of TLR2 and TLR4 with PTB or LTBI was detected. For TOLLIP, rs5743899 (p = 0.005, OR = 1.83, 95% CI: 1.20-2.80) CC genotype were risk factors for PTB progression. Moreover, rs5743867 under addictive (p = 0.005, OR = 1.54, 95% CI: 1.14-2.07) and recessive model (p = 0.004, OR = 1.86, 95% CI: 1.22-2.83) were also risk factors for PTB susceptibility. Our results indicate that polymorphisms in TOLLIP affected the risk of PTB disease.