Transforming growth factor-beta gene polymorphism in sarcoidosis and tuberculosis patients

SETTING: Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) plays an important role in many diseases, influencing as it does such processes as immune responses, fibrosing processes, and angiogenesis. Recently, polymorphisms have been described for TGF-beta that are associated with the risk of several diseases. In this study, we investigated whether TGF-beta1 polymorphism has an effect on sarcoidosis and tuberculosis. OBJECTIVE: TGF-beta1 Codon 10 T869C polymorphism was investigated in 110 healthy control subjects, 104 sarcoidosis patients, and 101 tuberculosis patients. DESIGN: The TGF-beta genotype was determined using polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism. RESULTS: We found no significant differences in TGF-beta genotypes between sarcoidosis patients and healthy controls or tuberculosis patients and controls. The long axis of the tuberculin skin test was larger in the CC type compared with the CT type. However, there was no association between the TGF-beta genotype and the roentgenographic stage, the disappearance of shadows, or organ involvement in sarcoidosis, nor any association between genotype, the extent or type of roentgenographic shadow, or detected volume of tubercle bacilli in tuberculosis. CONCLUSION: From the results, we believe that TGF-beta polymorphisms on the whole do not have a strong influence on disease onset or clinical progression in sarcoidosis and tuberculosis, although this polymorphism might have an effect on the immune response in a tuberculosis host.