Relationship between common polymorphisms of NRAMP1 gene and pulmonary tuberculosis in Lorestan LUR population

Introduction Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In humans, a number of genes have been identified as susceptible to pulmonary tuberculosis. The relationship between NRAMP1 polymorphisms and pulmonary tuberculosis has been studied in different populations and has reported contradictory results. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the common polymorphisms of NRAMP1 gene and the susceptibility to pulmonary tuberculosis in the LUR Population of Lorestan province of Iran. Materials and Methods In this case control study, three common polymorphisms of NRAMP1 gene (3’UTR, INT4 and D543N) were genotyped using PCR-RFLP technique in the LUR population of Lorestan province. In this study, 100 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) were studied as case group and 100 healthy controls that matched for age and sex with the patient group, studied as control group. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 18 software. Results In the present study we observed that the GG genotype of D543N polymorphism was statistically significantly associated with increased susceptibility to TB (84% in the case group vs. 72% in the control group, %95CI=1.024-4.071, OR=2.042, P=0.0405). Also, G allele of D543N polymorphism was statistically significantly associated with increased susceptibility to pulmonary tuberculosis (90% in the case group vs. 81.5% in the control group, %95CI=1.140-3.663, OR=2.043, P=0.015). On the other hand, the frequency of allele A of D543N polymorphism was significantly lower in patients than in the control group (10% in the case group vs. 18.5% in the control group, %95CI=0.273-0.878, OR=0.489, P=0.015). Although genotypic and allelic frequency of 3’UTR and INT4 polymorphisms between patients and controls showed no significant differences in the study population. Discussion and conclusion Our observations showed that GG genotype and G allele of D543N polymorphism have a significant role in increasing the susceptibility to pulmonary tuberculosis in the LUR Population of Lorestan province. Also, allele A of D543N polymorphism has a significant effect on resistance to pulmonary tuberculosis in this population. Although there was no significant correlation between genotypes and alleles of 3’UTR and INT4 polymorphisms with susceptibility to or resistance to pulmonary TB in this population. It is suggested that a larger sample size be used in future studies. It is also recommended to conduct this type of study on other ethnicities. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. ### Funding Statement This Research project was approved by the Research Council of Medicine School at Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Grant number: 134. This research was conducted with financial assistance from the Deputy of Research and Technology of Lorestan University of Medical Sciences. ### Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: The protocol of this study was approved by the Ethics Committee in the research of Lorestan University of Medical Sciences with the code of ethics IR.LUMS.REC.1395.114. I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines and uploaded the relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material as supplementary files, if applicable. Yes All data produced in the present study are available upon reasonable request to the authors.