Association of TLR2 gene polymorphisms with presumed viral-induced anterior uveitis in male Han Chinese

Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of TLR2, TLR3, TLR4 and TLR9 genes are associated with susceptibility to presumed viral-induced anterior uveitis (PVIAU) and Posner-Schlossman syndrome (PSS). A case-control study was performed in 205 PVIAU patients and 1007 healthy controls. A total of 15 SNPs were genotyped by MassARRAY platform and iPLEX Gold Assay. Data were analyzed using a Chi-square (χ2) test and Fisher's exact calibration test. Two hundred and three PSS patients served as an extra control to investigate whether there were similar genetic factors between PVIAU and PSS in the context of these tested SNPs in TLR genes. The results showed that the frequency of TLR2/rs7656411 GG genotype and G allele were significantly higher in PVIAU patients as compared with healthy controls (P = 1.10 × 10−4, corrected P value [Pc] = 4.93 × 10−3, odds ratio [OR] = 1.848; P = 3.57 × 10−4, Pc = 1.07 × 10−2, OR = 1.478, respectively). Gender stratification analysis showed a significantly increased frequency of the G allele in male patients (P = 7.46 × 10−5, Pc = 2.24 × 10−3, OR = 1.894). A weak correlation was found between two SNPs (rs3804100 and rs5743705) of the TLR2 gene with PSS. However, after Bonferroni correction, statistical significance was lost. This study shows that the polymorphisms of TLR2/rs7656411 are positively associated with PVIAU in male Chinese patients. PVIAU and PSS have a different genetic background in the context of the tested SNPs.