Association study of AFF1 rs340630 polymorphism with genetic susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis in Chinese population

Associations of genetic polymorphisms within MALAT1, UCA1, FAM211A-AS1 and AC000111.6 with genetic susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis

Recently, several long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) including MALAT1, UCA1, ENST00000483588, and ENST00000456270 have been implicated in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and we hypothesized that polymorphisms within these lncRNA genes might be genetic modifiers for the development of RA. A total of 10 potentially functional single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were selected and genotyped in 1198 participants, including 594 RA patients and 604 healthy controls. Significant associations of FAM211A-AS1 rs2882581 (G vs. A, OR = 1.31, 95%CI 1.07-1.62, p = .01; G/G + A/G vs. A/A, OR = 1.40, 95%CI 1.08-1.83, p = .01), rs3744281 (T vs. A, OR = 1.25, 95%CI 1.02-1.54, p = .03; T/T vs. A/T + A/A, OR = 1.69, 95%CI 1.01-2.82, p = 4.59 × 10^-2), and rs3760235 (A vs. G, OR = 1.32, 95%CI 1.04-1.68, p = .02; A/A vs. A/G + G/G, OR = 1.32, 95%CI 1.00-1.74, p = 4.89 × 10^-2) with RF-positive RA were found. Functional annotation results indicated that these identified polymorphisms might regulate the expression of FAM211A-AS1 and nearby genes via impacting on transcription factor binding. Taken together, our results indicated that FAM211A-AS1 rs2882581, rs3744281, and rs3760235 were involved in the genetic background of RF-positive RA.

Assessment of interleukin 6 gene polymorphisms with rheumatoid arthritis

BACKGROUND

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is complex autoimmune system disease and significant impact on the health of population in our world. Numerous studies confirmed that genetic factors play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of RA. In this current study, we aimed to investigate IL-6 polymorphisms and RA risk in Chinese Han population.

METHODS

508 RA patients and 494 age- and gender- matched healthy controls were recruited, all subjects were genotyped with an Agena MassARRAY platform. Subsequently, odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated by unconditional logistic regression after adjusting for age and gender.

RESULTS

Our results suggested that IL-6 rs2243289 allele and genotype frequencies were associated with reduced RA risk under all genetic models (all p < 0.05). Stratification analysis revealed that IL-6 rs2243289 polymorphism was significant associated with decreased the risk of RA in the old groups (age > 54) (all p < 0.05). However, IL-6 rs2069837 and rs1800796 polymorphisms were associated with increased risk of RA among the young groups (age ≤ 54) (all p < 0.05). In addition, subgroup analysis by gender suggested that IL-6 rs2069837 and rs1800796 polymorphism were interacted with increased the risk of RA in males (all p < 0.05). Besides, IL-6 rs2243289 was associated with reduced RA risk in females.

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, our results demonstrated the correlation between IL and 6 polymorphisms and RA susceptibility and confirmed for the first time that the relationship was restricted to age and gender in Chinese Han population.

Integrative Network Analysis of Multi-Omics Data in the Link between Plasma Carotenoid Concentrations and Lipid Profile

INTRODUCTION

Carotenoids, which are a reliable biomarker of fruit and vegetable consumption, are positively associated with the lipid profile. Circulating carotenoid concentrations may interact with several omics profiles including genome, transcriptome, and epigenome. Few studies have used multi-omics approaches, and they rarely include environmental factors, such as diet.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this observational study was to examine the potential role of multi-omics data in the interconnection between diet, represented by total carotenoids, and lipid profile using weighted gene correlation network analysis (WGCNA).

METHODS

Blood leukocyte DNA methylation levels of 472,245 CpG sites and whole blood gene expression levels of 18,160 transcripts were tested for associations with total carotenoid concentrations using regressions in 48 healthy subjects. WGCNA was used to identify co-omics modules and hub genes related to the lipid profile.

RESULTS

Among genes associated with total carotenoid concentrations, a total of 236 genes were identified at both DNA methylation and gene expression levels. Using WGCNA, six modules, consisting of groups of highly correlated genes represented by colors, were identified and linked to the lipid profile. Probes clustered in the turquoise and green modules correlated with plasma lipid concentrations. A total of 28 hub genes were identified.

CONCLUSIONS

Genome-wide DNA methylation and gene expression levels were both associated with plasma total carotenoid concentrations. Several hub genes, mostly involved in lipid metabolism and inflammatory response with several genetic variants associated with plasma lipid concentrations, came out of the integrative analysis. This provides a comprehensive understanding of the interactive molecular system between carotenoids, omics, and plasma lipid profile.

Elevated levels of inflammatory markers in women with rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune and progressive disease. Evidence indicates that inflammatory mediators may contribute to the genesis and/or evolution of this clinical condition. Thus, the objective was to evaluate and compare the plasma levels of Interleukin-17 (IL-17), Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha (TNF-α) and Complement 3 (C3) in women with RA and healthy controls (HC), as well as to evaluate the association them with the disease activity. 25 women with RA and 15 HC were recruited. Plasma levels of biomarkers were measured by ELISA. All statistical analyzes were performed with a significance level set at α = 0.05. In the women with RA, the median age was 55 and, in the HC, was 50 years. The median value of DAS-28 was 3.79. The plasma levels of IL-17 (p = .03), TNF-α (p ≤ 0.01) and C3 (p ≤ 0.01) were higher in women with RA. The ROC curve showed that TNF- α has a higher discriminating ability than IL-17 and C3. DAS-28 score correlated significantly with C3 levels in women with RA (r = 0.91; p < .01). These findings reaffirm the participation of the immune system in pathophysiology of RA, suggest that TNF-α levels may be a good biomarker and that elevated C3 levels contribute to the worsening of the disease.