TLR4 polymorphisms may increase susceptibility to periodontitis in Pg-positive individuals

To investigate the correlation between the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) gene and the susceptibility to chronic periodontitis.

241 Chinese subjects from the cohort of Beijing Shijingshan Community were recruited. Buccal swab samples, the whole unstimulated saliva and periodontal clinical parameters were collected. Human DNA extracted from buccal swab samples were used for genotyping eight SNPs of the TLR4 gene (rs11536889, rs1927906, rs1927911, rs2149356, rs4986790, rs4986791, rs2737190, rs787384) by the Sequenom MassARRAY system. Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) was detected from the deposition of the whole unstimulated saliva through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method based on 16S rRNA. The correlation between SNPs of TLR4 and chronic periodontitis susceptibility in the whole subjects and the patients detected with P. gingivalis was investigated.

The variants of rs4986790 and rs4986791 were not found in 241 Chinese subjects. Moreover, there was no significant difference in the distribution of theother6 SNPs of TLR4 between groups of none/mild -periodontitis and moderate/severe-periodontitis subjects. When combined with P. gingivalis infection, rs1927911 (TT/CC+CT), rs2149356 (TT/GG+GT) and rs2737190 (GG/AA+AG) were independent risk factors of chronic periodontitis.

Three SNPs of TLR4, i.e., rs1927911 (TT/CC+CT), rs2149356 (TT/GG+GT) and rs2737190 (GG/AA+AG), were associated with moderate/severe chronic periodontitis in Chinese population infected with P. gingivalis. P. gingivalis, which interacted with TLR4 gene plays an important role in the pathogenesis of periodontitis.