Lack of association between lactotransferrin polymorphism and dental caries.

OBJECTIVE: Dental caries is a complex, multifactorial disease and one of the most common illnesses worldwide. Its etiology is related to microbial, dietary and host factors. Recent evidence suggests a role of lactotransferrin (LTF) in caries. The purpose of this study was to determine the association between LTF gene polymorphism and dental caries. METHODS: In this case-control study, 637 unrelated children, aged 11-13 years, were enrolled. The subjects were divided into two groups, i.e. caries-free (decayed/missing/filled teeth = 0) and caries-affected children (decayed/missing/filled teeth ≥ 1). The LTF rs1126478 (140A/G in exon 2, Lys/Arg) genotypes were determined by PCR with restriction analysis using the EarI enzyme. RESULTS: Of 637 children, 155 (24.3%) were caries free. There were no statistically significant differences between caries levels and allele or genotype distributions in the total cohort. When the caries-affected group (n = 482) was stratified into low (decayed/missing/filled teeth = 1), moderate (2 ≤ decayed/missing/filled teeth ≤ 3) and high (decayed/missing/filled teeth ≥ 4) caries experience, allele and genotype frequencies were similar among all subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: The LTF 140A/G (exon 2, Lys/Arg) polymorphism was not associated with the susceptibility to or severity of dental caries in the Czech population.

Interferon-γ +874A/T polymorphism in relation to generalized chronic periodontitis and the presence of periodontopathic bacteria.

BACKGROUND: Interferon gamma (IFN-γ) is one of the key regulatory cytokines that has a significant effect on immune responses. It may be important in the chronic inflammatory diseases such as periodontitis in which increased IFN-γ levels were found. The aim of this study was to analyze +874A/T polymorphism in the IFN-γ gene and its associations with the presence of periodontopathic bacteria and susceptibility to generalized chronic periodontitis (CP). METHODS: A total of 498 unrelated Czech white subjects were included in the present study. Genomic DNA was obtained from the peripheral blood of 244 patients with CP and 254 healthy subjects. The IFN-γ +874A/T polymorphism was determined by amplification refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction (ARMS-PCR). Subgingival bacterial colonization (A. actinomycetemcomitans, P. gingivalis, P. intermedia, T. forsythia, T. denticola, P. micros, F. nucleatum in subgingival pockets) was investigated by the DNA-microarray based periodontal pathogen detection kit in a subgroup of subjects (N=110). RESULTS: Our results showed no differences in the allele and genotype frequencies of the IFN-γ +874A/T polymorphism between patients with CP and controls (P>0.05). Although we found significant differences in the occurrence of periodontal bacteria between patients with CP and healthy controls (from P<0.00001 to P<0.05), no significant association between IFN-γ +874A/T polymorphism and periodontal pathogens was observed in any group. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, these findings indicate that putative functional variant in the IFN-γ is not associated with susceptibility to chronic periodontitis or microbial composition in the Czech population.

MCP-1 and CCR2 gene polymorphisms in Czech patients with allergic disorders.

Several lines of evidence suggest that chemokines play an important role in asthma and allergy. We analysed polymorphisms at -2518A/G and -2076A/T of MCP-1 and V64I of CCR2 gene in healthy subjects (n = 306) and allergic patients (n = 332). Allele and genotype frequencies did not differ significantly between groups. Nevertheless, MCP-1 variants were associated with allergen sensitization. The results suggest that MCP-1, but not CCR2 gene variants, may participate in the pathogenesis of allergic phenotypes at least in the Caucasian population.

Genetic variations in the matrix metalloproteinase-1 promoter and risk of susceptibility and/or severity of chronic periodontitis in the Czech population.

OBJECTIVES: Matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) is a potent enzyme degrading extracellular matrix that was implicated in the pathogenesis of chronic periodontitis. Therefore, the aim of our study was to examine the association between three promoter polymorphisms of the MMP-1 gene and chronic periodontitis susceptibility and/or severity in a Czech population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 329 Caucasian subjects were enrolled in this study. They were 133 patients with mild to severe chronic periodontitis and 196 unrelated control subjects. MMP-1 promoter polymorphisms (-1607 1G/2G, -519A/G, and -422A/T) were genotyped using standard polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length product methods. RESULTS: Genotype analysis of the three single nucleotide polymorphisms across 27 different combinations showed significant association with chronic periodontitis (p<0.05). Analyses of individual polymorphisms showed no differences in distribution of the -519A/G and -422A/T variants between periodontitis and control groups. However, a trend to increased frequency of the -1607 1G allele was observed in patients with chronic periodontitis compared with the controls (p=0.054). When the groups were further stratified by smoking status, the 1G allele was associated with chronic periodontitis among non-smokers but not among smokers (p=0.033). On the contrary, the distribution of genotype frequencies of the MMP-1 -422A/T polymorphism was different between the patient and control smokers with respect to heterozygotes (73.91% versus 50.91%; p=0.017). CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that the polymorphisms in the MMP-1 promoter may have only a small effect on the etiopathogenesis of chronic periodontitis.