The Impact of ANxA6 Gene Polymorphism on the Efficacy of Methotrexate Treatment in Psoriasis Patients.

Background: There are great interindividual variations in the clinical efficacy of methotrexate (MTX) treatment and patients' genetic background seems promising in its explanation.

Objectives: The study aimed to test whether the polymorphism of annexin A6 (ANxA6) gene, a susceptibility factor for psoriasis, was associated with the clinical response to MTX therapy.

Methods: A total of 325 patients enrolled in the study received oral MTX treatment, of whom 310 completed the 1-year study and performed the genotype analysis. They were defined as responders (a reduction of Psoriasis Area and Severity Index [PASI] score ≥75%) and nonresponders (a reduction of PASI <50%) compared to baseline after 12 weeks of short-time therapy. On 1-year treatment, they were defined as responders if they achieved PASI75 and absolute PASI ≤3, otherwise as nonresponders. The genotypes of 4 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the ANxA6 gene were verified using the Sequenom platform. Potential predictors associated with the treatment outcome of MTX were assessed by binary logistic regression.

Results: We found significant associations for the ANxA6 SNPs of rs11960458, rs960709, and rs13168551 with psoriasis severity. Patients with rs11960458 CC genotype and rs960709 GG genotype showed higher percentages of PASI75 and improvement rates of PASI at 12 weeks. And on 1-year treatment, statistical difference occurred in rs11960458 rather than other SNPs compared between responders and nonresponders that the frequency of CC genotype was higher in responders (p = 0.019). After adjustment for potential confounders, patients with rs11960458 TT/CT genotype (at 12 weeks: OR 0.483, 95% CI 0.245-0.951, p = 0.035; at 1 year: OR 0.483, 95% CI 0.280-0.833, p = 0.009) were significantly more likely to not respond to MTX both on the short-term and long-term treatment, while rs960709 and rs13168551 polymorphisms were only associated with the short-term efficacy of MTX (p = 0.018 and p = 0.036, respectively).

Conclusions: The CC ge-notype of ANxA6 (rs11960458) was significantly associated with a better response when compared to those patients with the TT/CT genotype, thus being a potential predictor for the clinical efficacy of MTX.