Associations of IL6R and IL10 Gene Polymorphisms with Susceptibility to Ankylosing Spondylitis with or without Acute Anterior Uveitis

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background This research aims to explore the associations between ten candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on Interleukin-6 receptor (IL6R) and Interleukin-10 (IL10) genes and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients with or without acute anterior uveitis (AAU). Methods This study involved a case-control approach that examined 354 cases with AS and AAU, 377 AS cases without AAU, and 918 healthy controls. Genotyping of ten SNPs of IL10 and IL6R genes was performed using iPLEX Gold genotyping method. The allele and genotype frequencies of cases and healthy individuals were contrasted using the chi-square test. The IL10 mRNA level in various IL10 genotypes was tested using real-time PCR. Results Two loci associated with AS with AAU were identified: IL10//rs3790622 (OR = 0.664; 95%CI = 0.503–0.878; Pc = 0.038); IL10//rs3021094 (OR = 1.365; 95%CI = 1.110–1.679; Pc = 0.032). The other eight loci located on IL10 and IL6R did not show significant associations with the diseases. Additionally, as shown by functional experiments, there was no correlation between the mRNA expression of IL10 and various genotypes. Conclusion Our study suggests that the IL10 gene contributes to the susceptibility of the Chinese population to AS with AAU.