ARL15 Gene Variant rs255758 Provides Susceptibility to Rheumatoid Arthritis in Northwest Indian Population

Introduction: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic, chronic, and inflammatory autoimmune disease with a strong genetic component. ARL15 gene variant rs255758 has been reported as a candidate for RA susceptibility. A replication study was performed on this variant by taking 188 RA cases and 310 healthy non-RA controls from northwest India in a case–control association study design. Materials and Methods: DNA isolated from collected blood samples was analyzed by genotyping of the variant on real-time polymerase chain reaction using TaqMan Allele Discrimination Assay and statistically analyzed. Results: The variant was found to follow Hardy–Weinberg Equilibrium ( P = 0.079) in the control group. The variant was significantly associated with RA susceptibility in the present studied population cohort ( P = 0.024) with C as a risk allele and increased risk in the recessive model ( CC vs. CA + AA ; P = 0.004). Conclusion: The present study corroborates the earlier findings on the role of ARL15 gene variant rs255758 in RA and further contributes to its genetic etiology.