The functional p53 codon 72 polymorphism is associated with systemic lupus erythematosus.

The aim of the study is to investigate whether the functional p53 codon 72 polymorphism is associated with susceptibility to SLE and its clinical features. A polymerase chain reaction of genomic DNA-restriction fragment length polymorphism was used to determine genotypes of the p53 codon 72 in 90 SLE patients and 114 healthy controls. Clinical/serological manifestations were analysed in each patient and correlated with the genotypes. The OR of the association of the Pro allele with SLE was 1.70 (95% CI, 1.15-2.53, P = 0.0079) and the OR of the Pro/Pro (a recessive model) was significantly increased (OR = 2.58, 95% CI = 1.24-5.39, P = 0.0093). The Armitage's trend test indicated a significant dosage effect of the Pro allele for SLE (OR = 1.73, chi-square = 7.08, P = 0.0078). However, there was no significant association of the polymorphism with clinical/serological manifestations studied here. In conclusion, our finding suggests the functional p53 codon 72 polymorphism may be associated with SLE susceptibility, suggesting individuals who carry the Pro allele may have a higher risk to SLE susceptibility than those with the Arg allele. Further studies for replications are needed to confirm that the p53 polymorphism contributes to SLE.