Association between the CD209 promoter -336A/G polymorphism and susceptibility to tuberculosis: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Dendritic cell-specific intracellular adhesion molecule-3 grabbing nonintegrin (DC-SIGN), encoded by the CD209 gene, is a major Mycobacterium tuberculosis receptor on human dendritic cells. The potentially functional -336A/G polymorphism in the CD209 promoter region has been associated with susceptibility to tuberculosis (TB), but the results have been inconclusive. We performed a meta-analysis to clarify the relationship between the CD209-336A/G variant and the risk of TB.

METHODS

Ten studies involving a total of 2598 TB patients and 2614 control subjects were systematically reviewed, and the data were quantitatively synthesized by meta-analysis. The Q-test was applied to assess the heterogeneity of associations among the studies, and Egger's regression test was used to assess potential publication bias.

RESULTS

No significant association was identified between the CD209-336A/G polymorphism and risk of TB (G allele vs A allele: odds ratio (OR) 1.02, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.90-1.15). Moreover, no significant association was observed in populations of African ethnicity (OR 1.01, 95% CI 0.87-1.17) or among individuals who were negative for the human immunodeficiency virus (OR 0.98, 95% CI 0.84-1.15).

CONCLUSIONS

This meta-analysis has indicated that the CD209-336A/G polymorphism may not contribute to susceptibility to TB.