Comparison study for identifying promoter allelic polymorphism in interleukin 10 and tumor necrosis factor α genes

Cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and Interleukin (IL)-10 play significant roles in autoimmunity and transplantation tolerance. Allelic polymorphisms that occur in the regulatory regions of these cytokine genes are closely associated with acute and chronic transplant rejection. The presence of a G-to-A polymorphism at position -308 in the promoter region of the TNF-alpha gene can increase transcription six- to sevenfold. Likewise, the G-A polymorphism at position -1082 of the IL-10 promoter results in lower levels of IL-10 protein. Accordingly, a genotype that dictates the production of high levels of TNF-alpha with low IL-10 capabilities is most likely to generate an inflammatory environment that is less receptive to the transplant. The potential for determining a patient's haplotype before transplantation may be an effective way of monitoring the post-transplant status of such patients. A variety of methodologies that address the detection of mutations have been used both in research and clinical diagnostic tests. This study analyzes the genetic variations in cytokines using two methodologies: the traditional allele-specific oligonucleotide (ASO) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the newer and more flexible Invader technology. The sensitivity and specificity of the Invader assay for simultaneous investigation of multiple targets makes it a useful tool in such analyses.