Association study of RANKL rs7984870 polymorphism and risk of rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract

Objective To elucidate the association between RANKL rs7984870 C ＞G polymorphism and the susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis in a Chinese Han population.Methods Genotypes were determined by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) method in 214 rheumatoid arthritis cases and 478 controls.Results The RANKL rs7984870 C＞G genotype frequencies were 27.3% ( CC),51.2% ( CG),21.5% (GG) in the rheumatoid arthritis group and 25.3% (CC),49.1% (CG),25.7% (GG) in the control group respectively; Logistic regression analyses revealed that the risk associated with RANKL rs7984870 C＞G variant genotype was 0.78 (95% CI =0.49-1.24) for RANKL rs7984870 GG compared with its wild-type homozygote.Conclusion RANKL rs7984870 polymorphism may not serve as a risk factor of rheumatoid arthritis susceptibility.Further functional studies are warranted to verify our findings. Key words: RANKL; Rheumatoid arthritis; Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-offlight mass spectrometry; Single nucleotide polymorphism