D14 repeat polymorphism of the asporin gene is associated with primary osteoarthritis of the knee in a Mexican Mestizo population.

Abstract

Asporin is a novel extracellular matrix protein (ECM) with an important role in the development of osteoarthritis (OA), because it has been reported that functional polymorphisms in the aspartic acid repeat (D) of the asporin gene (ASPN) are associated with susceptibility to OA. This study was planned to investigate the association of the ASPN polymorphism with primary OA of the knee in a Mexican population, including several countryside regions. We conducted a case-control study in which 93 cases with primary OA of the knee and 118 controls were included. Cases included patients > 40 years of age, with a body mass index (BMI) ≤ 27 and a radiologic score for OA of the knee of ≥ 2. Controls were subjects > 40 years of age with a radiologic score of < 2. The D repeat polymorphism was genotyped and logistic regression was developed to evaluate risk magnitude. The D14 allele was more common in our cases and was associated with an increased risk for developing OA, while the frequencies of the remaining alleles did not exhibit differences. Our data suggest that the D14 allele of the ASPN polymorphism could exert an influence on primary OA of the knee etiology in a Mexican Mestizo population.