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Original Article
 

Strong Association Between the –308 TNF Promoter Polymorphism and Allergic Rhinitis in Pakistani Patients
 

K Minhas,1 S Micheal,1 F Ahmed,2 A Ahmed1

1Department of Biosciences, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan
2National Institute of Health, Islamabad, Pakistan

J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol 2010; Vol. 20(7): 563-566
 

 Abstract


Background: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a common complex allergic inflammatory disorder. The tumor necrosis factor (TNF) α polymorphism G–308A is present in the promoter region of the gene and considered to be important due to its role in different allergic diseases.

Objectives: We aimed to identify genetic associations between this polymorphism and AR in patients of Pakistani origin.

Methods: We analyzed the distribution of G–308A in 153 unrelated AR patients and 116 unrelated healthy controls. Samples were genotyped for G–308A using restriction fragment length polymorphism.

Results: The TNF –308A allele (TNF2) was significantly more frequent in patients with AR (37%) than in controls (16%, P<.001; χ2=32.15). Genotype distribution was also significantly different between patients and controls (P<.001; χ2=40.81). The TNF2 homozygous genotype and TNF1/2 heterozygous genotype were significantly more common in AR patients (TNF2, 12%; TNF1/2, 49%) than in controls (TNF2, 4%; TNF1/2, 23%), whereas the normal TNF1 homozygous genotype was more frequent in controls (73%) than in patients (39%).

Conclusion: Our results suggest a strong association between the promoter polymorphism of TNF-α and AR in Pakistani cohorts.

Key words: TNF-α. Allergic rhinitis. Polymorphism. Disease-association.