Ethnic Variations of IL‐10 Polymorphisms in a Sami and Norwegian Population

• Published in: Scandinavian Journal of Immunology
• Main Authors: Torkildsen, Ø., Utsi, E., Harbo, H. F., Mellgren, S. I., Vedeler, C. A., Myhr, K.‐M.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2005
• Subjects: Norway; sami
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3083.2005.01635.x; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1365-3083.2005.01635.x; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1365-3083.2005.01635.x

Abstract Interleukin‐10 (IL‐10) production is genetically determined and influenced by different polymorphisms in the promoter region of IL‐10. These polymorphisms may contribute to the risk and clinical outcome of various infectious and immunological‐related diseases. The Samis are the aboriginal inhabitants of Norway and Fennoscandinavia and are ethnically different from the Norwegians. Different distribution of various immune‐related diseases among the Samis compared with Norwegians have been reported. This is the first study to evaluate the distribution of IL‐10 polymorphisms in the Sami population. Two hundred healthy Samis were genotyped for polymorphisms in the promoter region of IL‐10 at region −1082 (G/A), −819 (T/C) and −592 (A/C). The allele frequencies, genotypes and haplotypes were compared with 187 healthy Norwegians. A significantly higher number of the Samis than the Norwegians had the ATA/ATA genotype, whereas the Norwegians displayed a higher frequency of the GCC/GCC genotype ( P = 0.0057). There was a significant difference in haplotypes in the two populations with a P = 0.0024. These findings may be important for the distribution and clinical outcome of various infectious and immune‐related disorders in the two populations.