6q23 polymorphisms in rheumatoid arthritis Spanish patients

Objective. The aim of this work is to replicate the role of two recently described RA genetic markers (rs10499194 and rs6920220) situated at 6q23 in the autoantibody-positive phenotype. Methods. A case–control study (630 RA patients and 664 healthy blood donors, all white Spaniards) was performed with two single nucleotide polymorphisms (rs6920220 and rs10499194) situated at 6q23. Genotyping was performed by TaqMan technology; autoantibody-stratified analyses in RA patients were also undertaken to replicate the previously reported effect of these polymorphisms. Results. No association was observed for rs10499194 even after autoantibody stratification. The minor allele frequency of rs6920220 was higher in anti-CCP or RF-positive patients than in controls (P = 0.014 and P = 0.015 respectively), thus replicating previous findings. Conclusions. Our data replicate the association of rs6920220 with autoantibody-positive RA disease, although not for rs10499194.