Combination of interleukin-10 gene promoter polymorphisms with HLA-DRB1*15 allele is associated with multiple sclerosis.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is common in some ethnic groups. Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is a potent anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive cytokine that may be an important regulator in MS disease pathogenesis. IL-10 promoter includes several single nucleotide polymorphisms and the level of IL-10 expression is related to these polymorphisms. Furthermore, loci within the histocompatibility regions are responsible for susceptibility to MS. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of IL-10 gene promoter polymorphisms and HLA-DRB1*15 allele frequencies with MS susceptibility in an Iranian population.

METHODS: In this study 336 MS patients and 454 healthy controls were included. Genomic DNA was purified from peripheral blood samples by a standard protocol. Genotyping was performed by the sequence-specific primer polymerase chain reaction method.

RESULTS: IL-10 -1082 G/G and IL-10 -819 C/C genotypes were more frequent in MS patients than healthy individuals. DRB1*15 allele showed a higher frequency among MS patients compared to controls.

INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSIONS: The IL-10 and HLA-DRB1*15 polymorphisms were associated with the susceptibility to MS in Iranian patients. Our results suggest that gene-gene interaction of IL-10 polymorphisms and HLA-DRB1*15 alleles may be important factors in the development of MS.