TY - JOUR T1 - Associations of Vitamin D Binding Protein Gene Polymorphisms with the Development of Peripheral Arthritis and Uveitis in Ankylosing Spondylitis JF - The Journal of Rheumatology JO - J Rheumatol SP - 2224 LP - 2229 DO - 10.3899/jrheum.101244 VL - 38 IS - 10 AU - KYONG-HEE JUNG AU - TAE-HWAN KIM AU - DONG-HYUK SHEEN AU - MI-KYOUNG LIM AU - SANG-KWANG LEE AU - JI-YOUNG KIM AU - HYO PARK AU - SOO-CHEON CHAE AU - SEUNG-CHEOL SHIM Y1 - 2011/10/01 UR - http://www.jrheum.org/content/38/10/2224.abstract N2 - Objective. Genetic factors account for more than 90% of overall susceptibility to ankylosing spondylitis (AS), and recent studies have focused on non-major histocompatibility complex genes. Vitamin D binding protein (DBP) is a highly polymorphic protein that transports vitamin D and its metabolites. In addition to its sterol binding capacity, DBP has many other roles in the inflammatory and immune systems, and has been reported to be associated with autoimmune diseases. We investigated the association between DBP polymorphisms and susceptibility to AS. Methods. This case-control study was conducted in 223 patients with AS and 239 ethnically matched controls who were genotyped for 8 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the DBP and its promoter. Genomic DNA was isolated from peripheral blood leukocytes using the standard phenolchloroform method, and the GoldenGate assay was used for genotyping. Results. No significant association was found between the susceptibility to AS and DBP polymorphisms. In a subgroup analysis of patients with AS, G alleles at rs222016 and rs222020 (OR 0.63, 95% CI 0.42–0.95, p = 0.03; OR 0.63, 95% CI 0.42–0.95, p = 0.03, respectively) and A allele at rs3733359 (OR 0.59, 95% CI 0.39–0.90, p = 0.01) showed the decreased risk of peripheral arthritis. G allele at rs4752 showed increased risk of uveitis (OR 2.04, 95% CI 1.12–3.72, p = 0.02). On the haplotype analyses, haplotype 2 (AGGA) protected against the development of peripheral arthritis (p = 0.01) and haplotype 3 (GAAG) was associated with an increased likelihood of uveitis (p = 0.02). Conclusion. DBP gene polymorphisms are associated with the development of peripheral arthritis and uveitis in Korean patients with AS. Given the influence of different DBP variants on the immune system, larger-scale studies are warranted to elucidate the role of DBP in the pathogenesis of AS. ER -