Association of Toll-like receptor 2 polymorphisms with National Institute of Health Stroke Scale scores of ischemic stroke patients

Association of single-nucleotide polymorphisms in toll-like receptor 2 gene with asthma susceptibility: A meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

An increasing number of studies have been carried out on the relationship between polymorphisms in toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) gene and asthma risk. However, the results were controversial. With the purpose of yielding a more reliable estimation of the association, we conducted the present meta-analysis.

METHODS

Multiple electronic databases up to August 22, 2016 were searched for literature retrieval. The association between the asthma susceptibility and the rs5743708 polymorphism, rs3804099 polymorphism, rs3804100 polymorphism, and rs4696480 polymorphism in TLR2 gene was appraised. The odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) under different genetic models were calculated.

RESULTS

A total of 13 studies were eligible in our meta-analysis according to the predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. There was no significant association between asthma risk and rs5743708, rs3804099, and rs3804100 polymorphisms in TLR2 gene under any genetic model. With respect to the TLR2 rs4696480 polymorphism, significant association was detected between asthma susceptibility and TLR2 rs4696480 polymorphism under dominant model (OR = 2.455, 95% CI = 1.235-4.88, P = .01) and codominant 3 model (OR = 2.776, 95% CI = 1.199-6.427,  = 0.017).

CONCLUSIONS

Our meta-analysis reveals that the TLR2 rs4696480 polymorphism is significantly associated with asthma susceptibility, and the TLR2 rs4696480 polymorphism is a risk factor for asthma.

Impact of TLR5 rs5744174 on stroke risk, gene expression and on inflammatory cytokines, and lipid levels in stroke patients

Many studies reported that toll-like receptors (TLRs) played an important role in the process of ischemic stroke (IS). However, the impact of TLR5 rs5744174 on stroke risk, gene expression and on inflammatory cytokines, and lipid levels in ischemic stroke patients has not yet been reported and was therefore the subject of this study. In this case-control study, a total of 816 ischemic stroke patients and 816 healthy controls were genotyped using Sequenom MassArray technology. The mRNA expression of TLR5 was detected through quantitative real-time PCR among 52 ischemic stroke patients. The levels of IL-1b, IL-6, IL-8, and TNFα were measured by ELISA among 62 IS patients. Total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were determined among 816 IS patients using a Hitachi 7600 Automatic Biochemistry Analyzer. Our result showed TLR5 rs5744174 polymorphism was not associated with stroke risk, TLR5 mRNA expression and inflammatory cytokines of IS patients (P > 0.050), but was significantly associated with HDL-C (recessive model: β = - 0.14, 95 % CI: -0.24 to -0.03, P = 0.009). TLR5 rs5744174 polymorphism may have no impact on the stroke risk, gene expression and inflammatory cytokines, but may influence the HDL-C serum level of IS patients in Chinese Han population.

Association of TLR and TREM-1 gene polymorphisms with risk of coronary artery disease in a Russian population

Atherosclerosis, manifesting itself as acute coronary syndrome, stroke, and peripheral arterial diseases, is a chronic progressive inflammatory disease which is driven by responses of both innate and adaptive immunity. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and Triggering Receptor Expressed on Myeloid Cells-1 (TREM-1) are important effectors of the innate immune system, and polymorphisms within genes encoding them may increase risk of occurrence of various pathologies including cardiovascular disorders. Thus, we carried out a genetic association study on the sample of 702 consecutive Caucasian (Russian) patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and 300 age-, sex-, and ethnicity-matched healthy controls. We revealed that the C/C genotype of the TLR1 rs5743551 polymorphism was significantly associated with a reduced risk of CAD according to the recessive model (OR=0.41, 95% CI=0.20-0.84, P=0.017, adjusted by age and gender). Concerning TREM-1 gene polymorphisms, we found that A/A genotype of the rs2234237 polymorphism, the G/G genotype of the rs6910730 polymorphism, the C/C genotype of the rs9471535 polymorphism, and the T/T genotype of the rs4711668 polymorphism were significantly associated with elevated CAD risk according to the recessive model (OR=5.52, 95% CI=1.17-25.98, P=0.011; OR=4.28, 95% CI=1.09-16.81, P=0.021; OR=5.55, 95% CI=1.18-26.09, P=0.011, and OR=1.66, 95% CI=1.10-2.52, P=0.014, respectively, adjusted by age and gender). Conversely, the G allele of the rs1817537 polymorphism, the T allele of the rs2234246 polymorphism, and the T allele of the rs3804277 polymorphism significantly correlated with similarly decreased risk of CAD according to the dominant model (OR=0.57, 95% CI=0.40-0.81, P=0.0013; OR=0.59, 95% CI=0.42-0.84, P=0.003, and OR=0.58, 95% CI=0.41-0.81, P=0.0014, respectively, adjusted by age and gender). We conclude that certain TLR and TREM-1 gene polymorphisms may be associated with CAD in Russian population; however, their significance as predictive and pathogenic markers of CAD should be interpreted with caution in other populations.

Interleukin-17 in post-stroke neurodegeneration

Stroke is a leading cause of physical disability with neurodegenerative sequelae such as dementia and depression causing significant excess morbidity. Stroke severity can be exacerbated by apoptotic cell death in ischemic tissue, of which inflammatory activity is a key determinant. Studies have identified harmful and beneficial sets of T lymphocytes that infiltrate the brain post-stroke and their activation signals, suggesting that they might be targeted for therapeutic benefit. Animal models and human studies implicate interleukin(IL)-17 and its congeners (e.g. IL-23, IL-21) as mediators of tissue damage in the delayed phase of the inflammatory cascade and the involvement of T lymphocytes in propagating IL-17 release. In this review, we highlight the current understanding of IL-17 secreting cells, including sets of CD4(+) αβ and CD4(-) γδ T lymphocytes, as potentially important mediators of brain pathology post-stroke. Interactions between the IL-17 axis and innate pathways, positive feedback mechanisms that prolong or amplify IL-17, and IL-17 regulatory pathways may offer intervention targets to enhance recovery, prevent long-term decline, and improve quality of life.

Association between ABCB1 Polymorphisms and Ischemic Stroke in Korean Population

Neuronal expression of ATP-binding cassette, sub-family B (MDR/TAP), member 1 (ABCB1) has been demonstrated after brain ischemia. To investigate whether ABCB1 polymorphisms are associated with the development, risk factors (hypertension, dyslipidemia, and diabetes mellitus), severity (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, NIHSS), and sequelae (Modified Barthel Index, MBI) of ischemic stroke (IS), four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the ABCB1 gene [rs4148727, promoter, -154T>C; rs3213619, 5'-untranslation region (5'UTR), -129T>C); rs1128503, synonymous, Gly412 (C>T); rs3842, 3'UTR, A>G] were analyzed in 121 IS patients and 291 control subjects. SNPStats and SPSS 18.0 were used to obtain odds ratios (OR), 95% confidence intervals (CI), and p values. Multiple logistic regression models (codominant1, codominant2, dominant, recessive, and log-additive models) were applied to analyze the genetic data. The rs3842 SNP was weakly associated with the development of IS (p=0.020 in codominant1 model and p=0.028 in dominant model). In the analysis of clinical phenotypes, ABCB1 polymorphisms were nominally associated with hypertension (rs3213619 and rs3842, p<0.05), dyslipidemia (rs1128503, p<0.05), diabetes (rs3842, p<0.05), and NIHSS (rs4148727, p<0.05). Interestingly, rs3842 showed statistically strong association between IS with hypertension and IS without hypertension (Fisher's exact p=0.003, OR=0.11, 95% CI=0.03-0.51 in recessive model). These results suggest that the ABCB1 gene may be associated with the development and clinical phenotypes of IS in Korean population.