Micro RNA-146a But Not IRAK1 is Associated with Rheumatoid Arthritis in the Tunisian Population

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is characterized by the production of an array of proinflammatory cytokines through the nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-kappa B) signaling pathway. The interleukin-1 receptor (IL-1R) and Toll-like receptors contain a common cytoplasmic motif the Toll/IL-1R (TIR) homology domain. This motif is required for NF-kappa B activation. IL-1R-associated kinase 1 (IRAK1) is a key adapter molecule recruited during the signaling cascade of the TIR. Its gene expression is regulated by the micro-RNA (miR)-146a. Objective: We investigated the role of the IRAK1 single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs3027898 (IRAK1 rs3027898) and the miR-146a SNP rs2910164 (miR-146a rs2910164) in Tunisian patients with RA and their association with C reactive protein (CRP), rheumatoid factor (RF), anticyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibodies, and erosion. Patients and Methods: In a cohort of 172 adult RA patients and 224 matched controls, IRAK1 rs3027898 genotyping was determined by mutagenically separated polymerase chain reaction (MS-PCR) with newly designed primers, and miR-146a rs2910164 genotyping was determined by restriction fragment length polymorphism PCR (RFLP-PCR). Results: The IRAK1 rs3027898A allele was detected in 67% of RA patients and 70% of controls indicating that it is not associated with RA in codominant, dominant, or recessive models even after stratification by age and gender. The miR-146a rs2910164 G allele was detected in 76% of RA patients and 68% of controls, thus the C allele confers some protection based on a dominant model [CC+GC (odds ratio (95% confidence interval) = 0.6 (0.3-0.9), p = 0.03)]. No association with CRP, RF, anti-CCP, or erosion was found for either SNPs. Conclusion: The IRAK1 rs3027898 was not associated with RA, whereas the C allele of miR-146a rs2910164 was found to be protective. Functional studies are required to investigate the exact role of miR-146a rs2910164 during RA.