J Korean Orthop Assoc.  2010 Oct;45(5):379-385.

Association of GnRH1 Polymorphisms with Rheumatoid Arthritis in a Korean Female

• Kim YM
• Han KY
• Kwak EB
• Chun W
• Kim SS
• Lee HJ

Abstract

PURPOSE
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a common, chronic inflammatory arthritis that develops most often in women. Gonadal hormones may account for the sexual dimorphism in the immune response and for the greater incidence of autoimmune disease in females. Gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH), one of the gonadal hormones, plays an important role in immune system modulation. This study examined the effects of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in GnRH on gender differences in the pathophysiology of RA. MATERIALS AND
METHODS
The presence of SNPs rs2659590, rs2321248, rs6186, rs6185, and rs2321049 in the human GnRH1 gene was confirmed in Korean RA patients by Taqman(R) SNP genotyping assays. A total of 153 unrelated female, Korean RA patients and 96 female Korean controls participated.
RESULTS
There were no significant associations between GnRH1 polymorphisms and RA. However, we found that the rs2659590, rs6185 and rs2321248 polymorphism might be associated with a susceptibility to aberrantly high erythrocyte sedimentation rates in female RA patients.
CONCLUSION
Additional studies, with a larger number of patients and in different populations will be required to assess whether GnRH1 polymorphisms and these haplotypes could be used as susceptibility or resistance markers in RA. To our knowledge, this study is the first to analyze associations between SNPs of GnRH1 and RA.

Keyword

gonadotrophin-releasing hormone 1; rheumatoid arthritis; single nucleotide polymorphism; association study

MeSH Terms

Arthritis
Arthritis, Rheumatoid
Autoimmune Diseases
Blood Sedimentation
Female
Gonadal Hormones
Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone
Haplotypes
Humans
Immune System
Incidence
Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
Gonadal Hormones
Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone

Figure

• 

  Figure 1 Schematic of the gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH1) gene. Shown are the 3 exons and 2 introns of the GnRH1 gene and the approximate location of each polymorphism identified in the present study.

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