The CTLA-4 and MCP-1 Polymorphisms and Susceptibility to Systemic Sclerosis: a Meta-analysis

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore whether cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) polymorphisms confer susceptibility to systemic sclerosis (SSc). Methods: MEDLINE and manual search were utilized to identify available articles. A meta-analysis was conducted on the associations between the CTLA-4 +49 A/G, -318 C/T, -1661 A/G, and -1722 C/T, and MCP-1 -2518 A/G polymorphisms, using a fixed-effect or random-effect model based on between-study heterogeneity. Results: Eleven comparative studies involving 959 SSc patients and 1739 controls were included in the meta-analysis. No association was found between SSc and the CTLA-4 +49 A/G polymorphism (OR for the +49 G allele = 1.032, 95% CI = 0.830-1.283, p = 0.779). However, an association between SSc and the CTLA-4 -318 TT+TC genotype (OR = 1.642, 95% CI = 1.034-2.609, p = 0.036). Meta-analyses failed to reveal an association between SSc and CTLA-4 -1722 C/T, MCP-1 -2518 A/G polymorphisms. Conclusions: This meta-analysis of published data shows that the CTLA-4 -318 C/T polymorphism confers susceptibility to SSc.