MICB*002 and MICB*014 protect against rheumatoid arthritis, whereas MICA*009 and MICA*A6 are associated with rheumatoid arthritis in a Hainan Han Chinese population

AIM: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as an inflammatory autoimmune disease affects the synovial joints as well as other organs and tissues. Since aberrant expression of MIC molecules has been observed in RA patient, MIC genotypes might play certain roles in the development of RA. METHOD: To explore the association of MICA and MICB polymorphisms with RA in a Han Chinese population in Hainan Island, samples from 172 RA and 137 healthy controls were genotyped for MICA and MICB. RESULTS: Our results indicated that MICB*002 and MICB*014 were less frequent in RA patients than in controls (P = 0.000, 0.005) while there were higher percentages of RA patients carrying MICA*009 and MICA*A6 (P = 0.005). CONCLUSION: Different MIC variants might modulate the autoimmune reaction differently in RA disease and therefore serve as protective or risk factors.