Variants of the IFI16 gene affecting the levels of expression of mRNA are associated with susceptibility to Behçet disease.

Objective: Behçet disease (BD) is a multifactorial disease in which infectious agents have been proposed as triggers in genetically predisposed individuals. The aim of our study was to investigate the role of innate immunity receptors, specifically the nucleic acid sensors, in susceptibility to BD.

Methods: Seventy-four tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (tSNP) selected in 9 candidate genes (DDX58, IFIH1, TLR3, TLR7, TLR8, AIM2, IFI16, ZBP1, and TLR9) were genotyped in 371 patients and 854 controls.