Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 gene polymorphisms in Behcet's disease

Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) gene polymorphisms have been imp licated in the susceptibility to inflammatory diseases, including multiple sclerosis and inflammatory bowel disease. The expression of both soluble an d tissue ICAM-1 is increased in Behcet's disease (BD) but the contribution of ICAM-1 gene polymorphisms to this disease remains unknown. Associations with BD have been reported for genes within the MHC, including HLA-B51, TNF and MICA, but the role of non-MHC genes in BD remains largely unexplored. We have investigated the frequency of the R/G 241 and K/E 469 ICAM-1 gene p olymorphisms in 83 patients with BD disease and 103 healthy controls, all o f Palestinian and Jordanian descent, and demonstrated an association betwee n BD and the ICAM-1 E469 allele (P-c = 0.046, OR = 2.1). Among patients, no association was found between the presence of ocular disease and ICAM-1 po lymorphisms. While the functional correlate of this polymorphism remains un clear, this finding indicates that a genetic polymorphism in the ICAM-1 gen e domain, which is independent of the MHC, may contribute to disease.