Abstract
In antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) the presence of anti-β2-glycoprotein I (β2GPI) antibodies is strongly associated with thromboembolic complications. It has been suggested that the common β2GPI Valine/Leucine247 (Val/Leu247)polymorphism could be found more commonly in APS and might influence the generation of anti-β2GPI antibodies. Therefore we studied β2GPI Val/Leu247single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) by PCR in 338 patients with various autoimmune diseases (46 with secondary and 84 with primary APS) and 147 sex and age-matched healthy controls. In all patients lupus anticoagulant, anticardiolipin and anti-β2GPI antibodies (both IgG and IgM) were also determined. All patients and controls were Caucasians. Frequencies of the SNP genotypes in patients did not depart from genetic equilibrum and did not differ from those found in controls. There was also no association between the presence of β2GPI Val/Leu247genotypes and the presence or absence of lupus anticoagulant, anticardiolipin antibodies, anti-β2GPI antibodies or clinical APS symptoms in all patients studied. In conclusion, among the exclusively Caucasian, Polish population of autoimmune patients β2GPI Val/Leu247SNP has the same distribution as in healthy subjects and does not influence the production of anti-β2GPI antibodies.
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