The BsmI, FokI, ApaI and TaqI Polymorphisms in Vitamin D Receptor Gene in Iranian Multiple Sclerosis Patients: A Case- Control Study

Introduction: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a major inflammatory and demyelinating disease of the central nervous system that is dependent on both environmental and genetic susceptibility factors. Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNP) of the vitamin D receptor gene (VDRG) may be related to MS risk. Material and Methods: The BsmI, FokI, ApaI and TaqI polymorphisms in the VDRG were studied on the DNA of 80 Iranian MS patients and 50 age-matched healthy controls by polymerase chain reactionrestriction fragment length polymorphism (PCRRFLP) method. Results: Our results demonstrated that genotypes frequency of the ApaI and BsmI VDR polymorphisms were significantly different between MS patients and controls (p=0.042, OR=2.5, 95%CI: 1.146-5.40 and p=0.023, OR=2.7, 95%CI: 1.08-6.75, respectively). The genotype and allele distribution of the FokI and TaqI VDRG polymorphisms did not differ between MS patients and controls. Conclusion: Our case-control study indicated that VDR ApaI and BsmI polymorphisms are more prevalent in Iranian MS patients.