Association between interleukin-1 receptor associated kinase 1 rs3027898 A/C gene polymorphism and rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease predominantly involving the synovial joints and affects up to 1% of adults worldwide. The aim of the present study was to determine whether the interleukin-1 receptor (IL1R)-associated kinase (IRAK1) rs3027898 gene polymorphism confers susceptibility to RA in a sample of patients from Iran. This gene encodes IRAK1, one of two putative serine/threonine kinases that associates with IL1R upon stimulation. IRAK1 is partially responsible for IL-1-induced upregulation of the transcription factor, nuclear factor-κB. The present case-control study was performed on 120 patients with RA and 120 healthy individuals. Genomic DNA was extracted from whole blood, and the gene polymorphism was evaluated using a tetra-primer amplification refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction method. The results demonstrated that there was no association between IRAK1 rs3027898 CA genotype and the risk of RA in women (odds ratio=0.72, 95% confidence interval=0.41-1.49; P=0.446). Further studies with larger sample sizes and different ethnicities are required to validate the present findings.