Akdeniz University Teknocity, Kampus Antalya, Turkey.

Cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen-4 is a cell-surface molecule providing a negative signal for T cell activation. CTLA-4 gene polymorphisms are known to be related with genetic susceptibility to various autoimmune diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, the effects of this polymorphism on clinical features of SLE have not been defined. We analysed the CTLA-4 gene +49 A/G polymorphisms in patients with SLE by using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and investigated the effect of polymorphisms on clinical outcomes. Blood was collected from 47 unrelated Turkish SLE patients, all fulfilling the American College of Rheumatology criteria for SLE, and 100 ethnically matched healthy volunteers. The AA genotype was a predominant genotype in the Turkish population and genotype frequencies of CTLA-4 AA were significantly higher in SLE patients (70%) than healthy controls (47%) (P = 0.015). There was a statistically significant difference in the AA genotype [odds ratio (OR): 2.66, confidence interval (CI) 95%: 1.27-5.56, P = 0.014] distribution among patients and controls. There was also an increase in A allele frequency in SLE and controls, but the difference was not statistically significant (81% vs. 70%, P = 0.068, OR = 1.8, CI 95%: 0.99-3.28). Interestingly, mean age and mean age of onset disease was higher in AA homozygote SLE patients compared to non-AA (39.2 +/- 11.5 vs. 31.6 +/- 10.6, P = 0.044; 32.38 vs. 24.31, P = 0.046, respectively). There was no association between genotype and the other clinical features of SLE. Our results suggested that CTLA-4 +49 AA genotype might be a risk factor for the development of SLE in Turkish population and G allele might be involved in early development of SLE. No association with clinical features was found for polymorphism of the promoter region in CTLA-4 +49.

Department of Medical Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Gazi University, Besevler, 6500, Ankara, Turkey.

BACKGROUND: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), whose genetic basis is not completely well understood, is the most common endocrine disorder in women and it typically develops during adolescence. The aim of this study is to investigate the possible association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of FSHR, CYP17, CYP1A1, CAPN10, INSR, SERPINE1 genes and PCOS in adolescent girls. METHODS: DNA samples from forty-four adolescent girls with PCOS and 50 healthy controls were analyzed by PCR-RFLP and direct DNA sequencing to determine the genotypic frequency of 17 different polymorphic loci on the FSHR (A307T, N680S), CYP17 (-34 T/C), CYP1A1 (T6235C), CAPN10 (44, 43, 19, 63), INSR (exon 17 C/T), SERPINE1 (4G/5G) genes. Genotyping of exon 12 (six polymorphisms) and intron 12 (one polymorphism) of INSR gene by direct DNA sequencing was performed for the first time in this study. RESULTS: No significant differences were observed in the genotype and allele distributions of above mentioned polymorphisms between cases and control groups. CONCLUSION: Our data does not support an association between SNPs of FSHR, CYP17, CYP1A1, CAPN10, INSR, SERPINE1 genes and susceptibility to PCOS or related traits in Turkish adolescent girls.

Department of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases Department, Ankara University School of Medicine, Ibni Sina Hospital, Ankara, Turkey. drsahinmustafa@yahoo.com

We previously shown that in a Turkish population, the A/G polymorphism in exon 1 of the cytotoxic T cell lymphocyte-associated molecule-4 (CTLA-4) gene is associated with Graves’ disease, and that the G allele may contribute to susceptibility for developing Graves’ disease. This polymorphism was identified in 197 patients with Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT) (126 women, 71 men; aged, 42.92 +/- 13.4 years) and 98 healthy individuals (56 women, 21 men; aged, 42.27 +/- 13.43 years) in Turkish population. Polymorphisms were analysed using a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method. Frequency of the A/G genotypes was not significantly different in patients with HT when compared with controls in both sexes (P > 0.05). There was no statistical difference in age, sex, cigarette smoking, initial serum thyroid hormone levels, initial goiter size and thyroid autoantibodies among the patients with the three different genotypes (G/G, A/G and A/A). We concluded that A/G polymorphism of CTLA molecule is linked to occurrence of Graves’ disease bu not to HT in the Turkish population.

Department of Chest Diseases, Yedikule Chest Diseases and Thoracic Surgery Education and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey. drekremcs@yahoo.com

Polymorphism at +813 locus of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene is considered to decrease predisposition to sarcoidosis. Our study aimed to investigate the roles of this polymorphism in the development and extent of sarcoidosis. We examined polymorphisms of the VEGF gene in 90 cases with histopathological diagnosis of sarcoidosis and in 110 healthy subjects. VEGF +813 gene polymorphisms were determined using a polymerase chain reaction-based method after DNA isolation. A significant increase in the frequency of the T allele was found in healthy subjects (odds ratio 0.55; 95% confidence interval 0.32-0.97, P<0.05). Our results suggest that increase in rarer T allele at + 813 locus of VEGF gene may diminish susceptibility to sarcoidosis in Turkish population.

Department of Periodontology, School of Dentistry, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey.

Aims: The aims of this study were to investigate (1) the matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) promoter polymorphisms in severe chronic periodontitis (CP), (2) the relationship of periodontal therapy outcome with these genotypes, and (3) the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) MMP-1 levels-MMP-1 genotype correlation. Material and Methods: Genomic DNA was obtained from the peripheral blood of 102 patients with severe CP and 98 periodontally healthy subjects. MMP-1 -519A/G and -1607 1G/2G polymorphisms were determined by the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. Fifty-eight CP patients received non-surgical periodontal therapy and were followed for 6 months. Clinical periodontal parameters and GCF samples were collected at baseline and at 6 months. GCF MMP-1 levels were analysed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: The distribution of MMP-1 genotypes did not significantly differ between the study groups. On the other hand, the -1607 2G allele frequency of severe CP patients was higher than that of healthy subjects. MMP-1 -519G allele carriers had higher GCF MMP-1 levels and percentage of sites with 4-6 mm clinical attachment level (CAL) compared with AA genotypes after non-surgical periodontal therapy (p<0.05). Conclusions: These data suggest that the -1607 2G polymorphic allele of the MMP-1 gene could be associated with susceptibility to severe CP in the Turkish population. It seems that -519AG and GG genotypes could play a role in the outcome of periodontal therapy.

Department of Toxicology, Gazi University, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ankara, Turkey.

Humans are routinely exposed to mutagenic and carcinogenic chemicals. These chemicals can form DNA adducts in vivo and thus lead to DNA damage. The integrity of most of the so-damaged DNAs is typically restored as a consequence of the action of certain DNA-repairing enzymes. In several DNA repair genes, polymorphisms may result in reduced repair capacity, which has been implicated as a risk factor for various types of cancer. XRCC1 is a base-excision repair protein that plays a central role in the repair of DNA base damage and strand breaks. Amongst the known genetic polymorphisms of the DNA-repair genes, X-ray repair cross-complementing groups 1 and 3 (XRCC1 and XRCC3) have been studied most commonly. Inconsistent results have been reported regarding the associations between the Arg399Gln (exon 10) polymorphism of XRCC1 and either functional significance or the risk of tobacco-associated cancers. The Gln allele of this polymorphism was associated with higher levels of DNA adducts. Therefore we genotyped one of the polymorphism of XRCC1, Gln allele. The frequency of the polymorphic alleles varies among populations, suggesting an ethnic distribution of genotypes. There has been no information on interindividual variability of Arg399Gln genotype in the Turkish population. Due to the association between the Arg399Gln polymorphism of XRCC1 and the risk of tobacco-associated cancers, we preferred to evaluate the allelic frequencies of Arg399Gln genotype than the other polymorphisms in XRCC1 gene in healthy Turkish population by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis to enable to show interindividual differences and compare to other populations.

Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Charité, Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.

Keratin 8 (KRT8) is one of the major intermediate filament proteins expressed in single-layered epithelia of the gastrointestinal tract. Transgenic mice over-expressing human KRT8 display pancreatic mononuclear infiltration, interstitial fibrosis and dysplasia of acinar cells resulting in exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. These experimental data are in accordance with a recent report describing an association between KRT8 variations and chronic pancreatitis. This prompted us to investigate KRT8 polymorphisms in patients with pancreatic disorders. The KRT8 Y54H and G62C polymorphisms were assessed in a cohort of patients with acute and chronic pancreatitis of various aetiologies or pancreatic cancer originating from Austria (n=16), the Czech Republic (n=90), Germany (n=1698), Great Britain (n=36), India (n=60), Italy (n=143), the Netherlands (n=128), Romania (n=3), Spain (n=133), and Switzerland (n=129). We also studied 4,234 control subjects from these countries and 1,492 control subjects originating from Benin, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ecuador, and Turkey. Polymorphisms were analysed by melting curve analysis with fluorescence resonance energy transfer probes. The frequency of G62C did not differ between patients with acute or chronic pancreatitis, pancreatic adenocarcinoma and control individuals. The frequency of G62C varied in European populations from 0.4 to 3.8%, showing a northwest to southeast decline. The Y54H alteration was not detected in any of the 2,436 patients. Only 3/4,580 (0.07%) European, Turkish and Indian control subjects were heterozygous for Y54H in contrast to 34/951 (3.6%) control subjects of African descent. Our data suggest that the KRT8 alterations, Y54H and G62C, do not predispose patients to the development of pancreatitis or pancreatic cancer.