CD6 gene polymorphism rs17824933 is associated with multiple sclerosis in Indian population.

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) prevalence has increased worldwide. The known genetic association for MS in the west has not been studied in detail in nonwhite populations and particularly Indians.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate some known genetic variations outside the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) region associated with MS in patients of Indian origin.

Materials And Methods: We investigated 10 gene-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP's) outside the MHC region in 300 patients and 720 unrelated controls. Genotyping was performed on an ABI7500 real-time polymerase chain reaction genotyping platform using predesigned TaqMan SNP genotyping assays.

Results: CD6 gene associated SNP (rs17824933) showed significant association with MS ( = 4.2 × 10, odds ratio [OR] = 2.24, confidence interval (CI) = 1.51-3.33). A modest association was also noted for TMEM39A rs1132200 ( = 0.023, OR = 1.41, CI = 1.05-1.91) and IL2RA rs2104286 ( = 0.04, OR = 1.3, CI = 1.006-1.67). In the remaining SNPs, the allele frequencies were overexpressed in patients when compared to healthy controls.

Conclusion: Our data illustrate the similarity in risk association between Indian and European populations for MS.