Comprehensive analysis of chemokine gene polymorphisms in Korean children with autoimmune thyroid disease

Chemokines are chemotactic cytokines that can cause directed migration of leukocytes. The aim of this study was to examine differences in single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of chemokine in AITD patients compared to normal controls. A total of 86 Korean pediatric patients were included in the patient group and 183 adults were included in the normal control group. To compare influences of several chemokine gene polymorphisms, 25 SNPs in 16 chemokine genes were analyzed. Genotype frequencies of CCL11(rs3744508)AA(OR = 6.9) and CCR2(rs1799864)AA(OR = 3.8) were higher in the AITD patients than in the controls, whereas CCL17(rs223828)CC was lower in the AITD patients than in the controls(OR = 0.4). In comparison between Graves' disease (GD) patients and controls, genotype frequency of CCL17(rs223828)CC(OR = 0.4) was lower in the GD group, whereas those of CCR2(rs1799864)AA(OR = 4.8) were higher in the GD group. The genotype frequency of CCL11(rs3744508)AA(OR = 11.3) was higher in Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) patients, whereas that of CXCL8(rs2227306)CC(OR = 0.4) was lower in HT patients. Polymorphisms of CCL11(rs3744508), CCL17(rs223828), and CCR2(rs1799864) might be associated with AITD, with CCL17(rs223828), CCR2(rs1799864) and CXCR2(rs2230054, rs1126579) affecting GD and CCL11(rs3744508) and CXCL8(rs2227306) affecting HT in Korean children.