Association of three SNPs in the PARP-1 gene with Hashimoto's thyroiditis.

Differences of one nucleotide in a gene called PARP-1 affect susceptibility to Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT), researchers in Turkey report. HT is an autoimmune disease producing excess antibodies that attack the thyroid gland, and is most prevalent in women. Arzuhan Koc and co-workers at Istanbul University analyzed the occurrence of three variations of the PARP-1 gene that differed by just one DNA base-pair in 141 female HT patients and 150 female control patients, all of Turkish origin. One of these variations, known as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), was associated with a significantly decreased risk of having HT. The researchers speculate that this particular SNP may change the activation of PARP-1. Interactions between the different variants of PARP-1 may result in changes to the inflammatory response seen in HT.