Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms of Interleukin-10 Promoter Gene in Korean Herpes Zoster Patients

Park, Soo Jung; Cho, Jae We; Lee, Kyu Suk

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Herpes zoster is a common viral infectious disease that is caused by the varicellar zoster virus (VZV). It has been suggested that impaired cellular immunity is responsible for the reactivation of the virus, but the pathogenesis of viral reactivation is not fully understood yet. Previous research has shown that interleukin (IL)-10 promoter gene polymorphisms influenced the susceptibility of herpes zoster in Europeans (Finnish patients). The wide ethnical differences of polymorphisms of the IL-10 promoter gene are known to exist between European and Asian populations, but it has not yet been confirmed whether IL-10 polymorphisms are susceptible to herpes zoster in Koreans.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to determine whether some type of polymorphisms in Koreans also influence the susceptibility of developing herpes zoster and, if they exist, to compare the ethnic differences of polymorphisms to those in Europeans.
METHODS
The three most investigated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP(S)) situated at positions -1082 (G/A), -819 (T/C) and -592 (C/A) 5' of the transcription start site and three haplotypes (GCC, ACC and ATA) of these SNPs were analyzed in 74 herpes zoster patients and 216 normal controls.
RESULTS
We found that the -1082 G allele was significantly higher in herpes zoster patients (odds ratio, 2.16; 95% confidence interval, 1.15~4.07; p=0.02) and the GCC haplotype was associated with development of herpes zoster in Koreans (odd ratio, 2.34; 95% confidence interval, 1.23~4.45; p=0.01), compared to the ATA haplotype in Finns.
CONCLUSION
Our results suggest that susceptibility genes do influence the development of herpes zoster in Koreans and that ethnic differences do exist between Koreans and Europeans (Finns).