Comparison of the G-174C polymorphism of interleukin (IL)-6 in different countries

Polymorphism of G-174C in the interleukin-6 (IL-6) promoter could affect both the transcription and secretion of IL-6 and may be involved in inflammation related to and the pathogenesis of infectious diseases and chronic diseases. However, IL-6 G-174C polymorphism may differ in various ethnic groups. We recruited 300 Chinese healthy subjects among two ethnic populations in order to assess the nature of the IL-6 G-174C polymorphism in different ethnic populations of China. Common polymorphic loci in the IL-6 G-174C were determined by TaqMan SNP genotyping assays. We found that the C allele frequency at the -174 promoter region of IL-6 was extremely low in both Han and Uyghur ethnic groups. Therefore, it was concluded that the G to C variant at -174 of IL-6 is extremely rare in Chinese Han and Uyghur healthy populations, which are different from other American and African countries. Key words: Interleukin-6 (IL-6), G-174C, polymorphism, Infecious diseases healthy population.