Association between CLEC4E gene polymorphism of mincle and pulmonary tuberculosis infection in a northern Chinese population

Background: Pulmonary tuberculosis caused by an intracellular pathogen, Mycobacterium tuberculosis continues to exist as a hazardous disease to human life globally. Genetic polymorphisms regulate resistance and susceptibility to tuberculosis. The C-type lectin receptor of family 4 member E (CLEC4E) confers protection against tuberculosis in laboratory animals but its function in influencing exposure or resistance to pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) in humans remains obscure. Aim: We conducted this research to analyze the effects or concomitance of CLEC4E gene variations with susceptibility to pulmonary tuberculosis in a northern Chinese population. Method: In this study, 202 participants with pulmonary tuberculosis and 214 controls without PTB were enrolled. Two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for CLEC4E on chromosome 12 were selected with a minor allele frequency of > 0.05. All the SNPs were genotyped using high resolution melting analysis-PCR. Results: We estimated and compared two SNPs, rs10841845 and rs10841847. From our study findings, CLEC4E rs10841845 conferred protection against the development of pulmonary TB with a P value of < 0.05 and odds ratio of < 1 for all models of genetic inheritance. CLEC4E rs10841847 genotypes in co-dominant, Recessive, Dominant models and alleles had a significant statistical difference between patients and controls associated with resistance against the development of PTB (P < 0.05 and OR < 1). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that variations at rs10841845 and rs10841847 of CLEC4E genes are associated with increased individual protection against PTB.