Association between ADAM12 polymorphism and knee osteoarthritis in Thai population

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA), a common degenerative joint disorder in the elderly, is characterized by the destruction of articular cartilage, bony outgrowths at joint margins, and synovitis. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether there is an association between the ADAM12 (rs3740199) polymorphism and susceptibility to knee OA in a Thai population.

Methods: Genomic deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was isolated from 200 Thai knee OA patients and 200 healthy controls. High resolution melting analysis was used to detect ADAM12 polymorphisms. The melt profile of all DNA samples was generated on the CFX96™ real-time polymerase chain reaction system and analyzed by Precision Melt Analysis™ software. The genotype distributions and allele frequencies of ADAM12 were compared between groups using the StatCalc program.

Results: The significant associations were shown from the C allele (OR=2.10, 95% CI=1.16-3.79, P=0.008) and the CC genotype (OR=4.28, 95% CI=1.21-15.72, P=0.01) in male knee OA patients. No significant association was observed in female patients.

Conclusion: The rs3740199 in ADAM12 was associated with knee OA susceptibility in Thai male patients, and individuals with the CC genotype carried the highest risk when compared with the GG and GC genotypes.

Clinical relevance: The rs3740199 polymorphism of the ADAM12 gene can potentially be used to determine genetically high-risk subgroup of knee osteoarthritis and to better understand the pathogenesis of knee osteoarthritis.