INTERLEUKIN-10 PROMOTER POLYMORPHISMS IN SOUTHERN CHINESE PATIENTS WITH SYSTEMIC LUPUS-ERYTHEMATOSUS

Objective, To study the genetic association of interleukin-10 (IL-10) promoter polymorphisms in Southern Chinese patients with systemic lupu s erythematosus (SLE), and to investigate possible associations with c linical manifestations of the disease. Methods, DNA was extracted from 88 Chinese patients,vith SLE and 83 ethnically matched controls. The IL-10 promoter region between positions -533 and -1120 was amplified b y polymerase chain reaction, and polymorphisms were detected by restri ction-enzyme cleavage. Results. No significant difference in the allel e or haplotype frequencies between SLE patients and controls could be demonstrated. The A and *C alleles at the -597 position were linked t o the T and *C alleles at the -824 position, respectively, However, w hen clinical features were examined, the A allele at the -597 positio n and the T allele at the -824 position were significantly associated with lupus nephritis, by chi-square analysis (P < 0.001, odds ratio 4 .19, 95% confidence interval 2.02-8.71), Similarly, the haplotype -108 7A/-824*T/-597*A was also associated with renal involvement (P < 0.00 1, odds ratio 3.62, 95% confidence interval 1.80-7.31), Conclusion. IL -10 promoter polymorphisms are not strong determinants of susceptibili ty to the development of SLE, per se, in Southern Chinese individuals, However, IL-10 genotypes are strongly associated with certain clinica l manifestations of SLE and may have a role in predicting disease prog nosis.