Polymorphism in the Toll-like Receptor 2 Subfamily and Risk of Atopy: A population study in Zanjan, Iran

Background & Objective: Atopy is an allergic state with manifestations of asthma, atopic dermatitis, and allergic rhinitis.There was a genetic tendency to atopy, and the genetic polymorphisms in the TLRs had been shown as a causal factor.The objective of this research was to examine the association between TLR2 rs7656411 polymorphism and atopic individuals in Zanjan Province. Materials & Methods:Total genomic DNA was extracted from the whole blood of atopic and non-atopic individuals (100 atopic patients and 50 healthy control subjects) who were referred to the Allergy Clinic at Mousavi Hospital of Zanjan University of Medical Sciences Zanjan, Iran.PCR amplification and direct sequencing methods were employed for genotyping of TLR2 rs7656411 in all patients and controls.Results: In this study, the GG genotype was higher in the patients than in the controls (15% vs. 8% in non-atopic subjects).However, this difference was not significant (Pvalue = 0.21).We also did not find any significant difference between the frequency of alleles (G and T) in the patients and controls.Conclusion: Our study showed that TLR2 rs7656411 polymorphism are not significantly associated with atopy in an Iranian population, but the GG genotype might be a risk factor for atopy.