The CD226 gene in susceptibility of rheumatoid arthritis in the Chinese Han population

Recent case–control studies have identified some loci that are associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Among these, a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), Gly307Ser (rs763361), in the CD226 gene was first discovered to confer the risk of RA in populations with European and Colombian ancestry. Because the effect of genetic factors varies in different races, the association between RA and CD226 is yet to be evaluated in other non-European populations. Here, we report the significant association between CD226 and RA in a Chinese population of 423 randomly enrolled individuals. The statistical results show that the rs763361 SNP in the CD226 gene is significantly associated with RA in the Chinese population group (Pobs = 0.005, odds ratio = 1.52). After adjusting for sex and age using multivariate logistics regression analysis, the association is still positive (Padj = 0.029, odds ratio = 1.45). Meta-analysis confirms the association between rs763361 and RA (overall P < 0.001, overall odds ratio = 1.12). The test of odds ratio heterogeneity also suggests that the rs763361 SNP confers the same risk of RA in both the Chinese and the Colombian populations, and indicates that rs763361 may play a more important role in non-European populations compared with the European population (P = 0.031). These results demonstrate a genetic association between the CD226 gene and RA in a Chinese Han population with a potentially greater genetic effect than in the European population.