Toll-like receptor activation intitially recruits the myeloid differentiation primary response gene (88) (MyD88) protein. A polymorphism *1244 A>G (rs7744) in the 3′-untranslated region of MyD88 has ...been identified. In the present study, the association of this polymorphism with ulcerative colitis (UC) was investigated. The population studied comprised 922 individuals, including patients with UC (UC cases) and without (controls). Genotyping of rs7744 was performed by PCR single-strand conformation polymorphism and the rs7744 G allele frequencies in the controls and UC cases were 32.8 and 43.5%, respectively (P<0.0001). The results showed that the genotype frequency of the AA homozygote was significantly lower and that of the GG homozygote was significantly higher in the UC cases compared with those in the controls (P=0.0012 for both groups). The rs7744 minor allele variants were significantly associated with susceptibility to UC as indicated by dominant and recessive genetic models. The minor allele variants were associated with an increased risk for UC in the male individuals but not the female individuals. The rs7744 was also associated with a non-continuous phenotype of UC and steroid unused/independent UC. This minor allele homozygote was associated with the disease severity of UC, hospitalization and response to steroid treatment. The results of the present study provided evidence that MyD88 polymorphism rs7744 was significantly associated with the development of UC and that this polymorphism may be associated with the response to treatment therapies for UC.
CpG island aberrant methylation is shown to be an important mechanism in gene silencing. The important role of NF-κB in the inflammatory response to H. pylori colonization has been indicated. We ...investigated the influence of NFKB1 polymorphisms, −94 ins/del (rs28362491) and −449 C>G (rs72696119), on the aberrant gene methylation under H. pylori infection. Gastric mucosal samples were obtained from sub-subjects without malignancies. Methylation status of genes (p14ARF, p16INK4a, DAPK and CDH1) was determined by methylation-specific PCR (MSP). The genotyping of NFKB1 was performed by PCR-SSCP. There was a strong allelic association between rs28362491 and rs72696119, and all H. pylori-infected −94 del/del homozygotes had a −449 GG genotype. The −94 del/del homozygosity was significantly associated with risk for development of CpG island high methylation (CIHM) (two or more gene methylations), especially DAPK and CDH1 methylations, and the number of methylated genes was significantly higher in −94 del/del homozygotes than in ins/del and ins/ins (ins carrier) H. pylori-infected elder subjects. In addition, this methylated gene number was significantly increased with age in H. pylori-infected del/del homozygotes, but not in infected ins carriers. Furthermore, the inflammation score was significantly higher in H. pylori-infected del/del homozygotes compared to ins carriers. NFKB1 −94 ins/del ATTG polymorphism (rs28362491) was significantly associated with the increased risk for the development of age-related gene methylation in non-cancerous gastric mucosa under H. pylori-induced inflammation.