Several cytokine genes may play crucial roles in host susceptibility to Behçet's Disease (BD), since the cytokine production capacity varies among individuals and depends on the cytokine gene polymorphisms. The association of the IL-1 cluster gene polymorphisms with the development of BD was investigated in this study. DNA samples were obtained from a Turkish population of 97 patients with BD, and 77 healthy control subjects. All genotyping (IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-1R and IL-1Ra) experiments were performed using sequence specific primers PCR (PCR-SSP). When compared to the healthy controls, the frequencies of IL-1Ra IL-1α and IL-1R gene polymorphisms were not significantly different in BD patients. The frequency of IL-1β-511 TT genotype was higher in the BD group in comparison to the control group. Interestingly, we demonstrated that IL-1 β +3962 gene polymorphism seems to be associated with the presence of Erythema nodosum in BD patients. Our data suggest that polymorphisms in IL-1β gene may affect host susceptibility to BD. In order to confirm the biological significance of our results, further studies should be performed in a large-scale study and/or in different ethnic groups.
© 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.