Association of BTNL2 gene single nucleotide polymorphism with knee osteoarthritis

Relevance. Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the chronic debilitating condition mostly seen in the aged population. The etiology behind the OA is multifactorial and the exact cause of the disease often remains uncertain. Apart from the conventional risk factors, there are the speculations of role of genetics playing a pivotal role in the causation of OA. The available literature showed BTNL2 gene polymorphism association with risk of Osteoarthritis whether the same relation is present in north Indian population needs to be elucidated. Objective. To find the association between single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) (rs10947262) in BTNL2 gene and the susceptibility in knee Osteoarthritis (OA) subjects from northern Indian population. Materials and Methods. Blood samples of 100 patients of knee osteoarthritis and 100 healthy subjects were collected after institutional ethical clearance and participants consent. The BTNL2 gene fragment was amplified using Amplification Refractory Mutation System (ARMS-PCR) with predesigned primers after DNA extraction. The corresponding product bands were identified on the gel electrophoresis for 200 samples and the results were statistically analyzed. Results and Discussion. The genotypic distribution of the SNP followed Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium. The genotype frequency analysis of the polymorphism was statistically significant (χ2=7.788; P=0.005) with Odd’s Ratio of CT+TT/CC: OR=2.303; P=0.008 revealing association of BTNL2 polymorphism with risk of Knee Osteoarthritis. Conclusion. The SNP (rs10947262) in the BTNL2 gene region is associated with risk of knee osteoarthritis.