rs10865331 in 2p15 increases susceptibility to ankylosing spondylitis: a HuGE review and meta-analysis

2p15 polymorphisms have been reported to increase ankylosing spondylitis (AS) susceptibility in several studies; however, when it comes to whether and how much of this risk exists, the results are inconclusive. The aim of this study is to investigate the correlation between rs10865331 in 2p15 and the risk of AS.

We conducted a HuGE review and meta-analysis of studies published through September 2019. Studies were identified in PubMed, Scopus, HuGE Navigator, Embase, and Web of Science databases. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for risk estimations were calculated. Sensitivity analysis, subgroup analysis and analysis for potential publication bias were also estimated.

Eleven studies with 18555 AS patients and 43777 unrelated healthy individuals, each with a score greater than 6 on the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS), that investigated the association between rs10865331 in 2p15 and AS were included in our meta-analysis. Data were classified into the genotype analysis cohort, the OR-value cohort, and the pooled analysis cohort, and then a meta-analysis was performed. The OR value of the recessive model in the genotype analysis cohort was 1.376 (95% CI=1.204-1.572, p<0.001, I²=56.30%), and the OR value of the pooled analysis cohort was 1.295 (95% CI=1.228-1.365, p<0.001, I²=73.70%). These findings suggest that individual who carries this single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) are about 30% more susceptible to developing AS.

Our results suggest that rs10865331 is associated with a significantly higher risk of AS in all race and country subgroups that we have evaluated. Therefore, rs10865331 may be a useful genetic marker for predicting AS susceptibility. However, further studies are needed to confirm our findings.