| Abstract: | The aim of this study was to investigate the association of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) gene promoter polymorphisms in Chinese patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in central Taiwan. A total of 106 RA patients and 253 normal controls were studied. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based restriction analysis was used to identify A/G polymorphism at position 308 in the promoter region of the TNFalpha, which is located at 6q21.3. For the genotype of TNFalpha-308 polymorphism, there was no statistically significant difference between RA patients and normal controls (Fisher's exact test, P=0.82). Additionally, no statistical association in the distribution of TNFalpha-308 polymorphism between rheumatoid factor (RF)-positive and -negative patients was noted. The lack of an association of TNFalpha-308 polymorphism with RA and RF in our study implies that TNFalpha-308 polymorphism cannot serve as a candidate gene marker for screening RA patients in Taiwan. |
