Autoimmune renal disease and tumour necrosis factor beta gene polymorphism.

The genes encoding tumour necrosis factors (TNF) are located within the major histocompatibility complex. Since TNF may be involved in the pathogenesis of autoimmune disease the purpose of the present study was to investigate TNFβ gene polymorphism in two types of immune complex mediated glomerulonephritis, IgA nephropathy (IgAN) and idiopathic membranous glomerulonephritis (IMN) and to compare them with IDDM and healthy controls. DNA was studied by Southern-blot hybridisation methods using Nco I digestion and a TNFβ probe; two alleles were detected size 5.5 kb and 10.5 kb. In healthy controls (n=107), 9% were 5.5 homozygotes, 47% heterozygotes and 44% 10.5 homozygotes