Tumor necrosis factor promoter polymorphism and susceptibility to lepromatous leprosy.

Abstract

Genetically determined differences in immune responses to environmental agents may underlie susceptibility to many autoimmune and infectious diseases. Leprosy provides an example of a polarity in the type of immune response made to an infectious agent, and there is evidence that the major histocompatibility complex is genetically linked to leprosy type. It was found that HLA-DR2 is associated with both tuberculoid and lepromatous types of leprosy; however, a variant at position -308 of the promoter of the neighboring tumor necrosis factor (TNF) gene was increased in frequency in lepromatous (odds ratio = 3.0, P = .02) but not tuberculoid leprosy. Some studies have found higher serum levels of TNF in lepromatous than tuberculoid leprosy, and high TNF levels are found in malaria and leishmaniasis, which are also associated with this TNF allele. It is speculated that this association reflects genetic variability in cytokine production, which influences the immune response to and clinical outcome of leprosy.

• Authors: S Roy, W McGuire, C G Mascie-Taylor, B Saha, S K Hazra, A V Hill, D Kwiatkowski
• Journal: The Journal of infectious diseases (J Infect Dis) Vol. 176 Issue 2 Pg. 530-2 (Aug 1997) ISSN: 0022-1899 [Print] United States
• PMID: 9237725 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• HLA-DR2 Antigen
• Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

Topics

• Adult
• Case-Control Studies
• Disease Susceptibility
• Female
• Gene Frequency
• Genes, MHC Class II (genetics)
• HLA-DR2 Antigen (genetics)
• Humans
• Leprosy, Lepromatous (ethnology, genetics)
• Leprosy, Tuberculoid (ethnology, genetics)
• Male
• Polymorphism, Genetic
• Promoter Regions, Genetic (genetics)
• Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (genetics)