Impact of a Polymorphism in the IL-12p40 Gene on the Outcome of Kidney Transplantation

Abstract

A number of factors interfere with the outcome of renal transplantation. Revealing genetic factors that impact on graft outcome may have consequences for clinical practice. Interleukin-12 (IL-12), by stimulating interferon gamma (IFNγ) production, plays a crucial role in immune responses against both graft and viral agents. An A-to-C single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) within the 3′-untranslated region (3′UTR) of the IL-12p40 gene has been reported to be both functionally and clinically relevant. Since the impact of this SNP on kidney graft outcome has never been reported, we investigated the impact of the 3′UTR polymorphism on clinical events after transplantation among 253 kidney recipients transplanted between 1995 and 2003. The polymorphism was genotyped using the restriction fragment length polymorphism method. Our results showed that the 3′UTR polymorphism affected neither graft survival ( P = .768) nor the occurrence of delayed graft function (DGF; P = .498). C allele carriers in our study displayed more acute rejections in the first year than patients with the A/A genotype, but it did not reach statistical significance ( P = .108). In contrast, the C allele appeared to be a significant risk factor for cytomegalovirus infection (odds ratio = 1.77; P = .027). In conclusion, IL12B 3′UTR polymorphism did not affect graft survival, DGF, or acute rejection episodes, but had an impact on the occurrence of cytomegalovirus infection.