Lack of Association between PTPN22 (+1858 C T) rs2476601 polymorphism and susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Northeast of Iran

Background and objectives: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease with a complex genetic background. The protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor type 22 (PTPN22) is a lymphoid specific protein tyrosine phosphatase which is involved in negative regulation of T cell response. Several studies have assessed the association between PTPN22 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with RA susceptibility. Here, we aimed to assess the association of PTPN22 (1858 C T) variant with the susceptibility to RA in northeast of Iran. Methods: A total of 127 RA patients and 119 age- and sex- matched healthy donors were enrolled. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) technique (PCR-RFLP) was applied to detect PTPN22 (1858 C T) SNP. SPSS 22.0 software was used to analyze data using relevant statistical tests. Results: Comparison of allele and genotype frequencies of PTPN22 (1858 C T) SNP in RA patients and healthy donors revealed no significant association with RA susceptibility. Conclusion: The present study suggests that the PTPN22 (1858 C T) genetic variants are not associated with RA susceptibility and disease activity. While this is the first report from northeast of Iran, further studies are needed to confirm these findings.