Correlation of -475 IL-2 Promoter Gene Polymorphisms and the Levels of Serum IL-2 on the Risk of Multiple Sclerosis

Background: The aim of present study is to asset the IL-2 promoter gene (SNP -475) as a candidate gene for multiple sclerosis (MS) susceptibility. Methods: This study included 70 patients with relapsing – remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and 50 healthy controls. Following the extraction of genomic DNA from peripheral blood, frequency of genotypes and alleles of SNP -475 was calculated using Restriction fragment length polymorphism-polymer chain reaction (RFLP-PCR) and then the results were analyzed statistically. Results: The results revealed the unusual ratio for the heterozygous (AT) was 1.6972 indicating that heterozygous patients were at higher risk of multiple sclerosis than wild homozygous (AA), and homomutant (TT). The results show protective role for - 475 IL-2 promoter among individuals with multiple sclerosis, (O.R: 0.4872; C.I. 95%: 0.1617- 1.4680) and (O.R: 0.9275; C.I. 95%: 0.2476 - 3.4745) for both AA and TT genotypes, respectively. Conclusions: Our results showed that in this population of Iraqi patients, the AT genotype / A allele of -475 IL-2 promoter gene SNP may include attributed factors for MS predisposition.