Rs361525

rs361525 is also known as the TNF-238 SNP, and occasionally the rs361525(A) allele is referred to as 238.2 (with the more common (G) allele being 238.1). This SNP in the tumor necrosis factor-alpha gene has been linked to a wide variety of conditions:


 * Breast cancer
 * A large study of over 5,000 Caucasian women found that rs361525(A) allele carriers were at somewhat elevated risk for breast cancer compared to the (G;G) genotype, with an odds ratio per allele of 1.18, CI: 1.04-1.35, p(trend)= 0.008.
 * However, a 2009 European study of 30,000 breast cancer cases, compared to 30,000 controls, found no association, or as they put it, "persuasive evidence against an overall association between invasive breast cancer risk and (this SNP)".


 * Graft versus host disease (GVHD)
 * A study of ~100 allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients in Brazil concludes that graft versus host disease (GVHD) is about twice as frequent if either the donor or the recipient is a carrier of the rs361525(A) allele.


 * Otitis or ear infections
 * Children who are rs361525(G;G) homozygotes may be more prone to ear infections; adjusted odds ratio 2.29, p=0.03).


 * Nasal polyps
 * The rs361525(A;A) genotype was associated with increased risk for nasal polyps in a study of 82 Turkish patients.


 * Psoriasis
 * A study of 160 Polish psoriasis patients indicated that the frequency of the rs361525(A) allele was significantly increased (16.8% vs. 3.1%, p=0.000017, odds ratio 8.79, CI: 2.606-29.678), and furthermore, the onset age was lower in rs361525(A) carriers.


 * Diabetes and verbal memory
 * rs361525(A) carriers showed a slower decline of verbal memory over a period of 48 weeks in a study of elderly patients with type-2 diabetes.


 * Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
 * rs361525(G;G) babies may be at higher risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) based on a relatively small number (148) of Norwegian infants studied.


 * Exfoliation glaucoma
 * A study of 204 patients with exfoliation glaucoma (XFG) concluded that rs361525 is unlikely to be a major risk factor for XFG in Caucasians.


 * Lymphoma
 * A US study of 1,172 lymphoma patients and 982 controls looked at 57 SNPs in 36 immune function genes. Five SNPs in two cytokine genes, tumor necrosis factor-alpha and lymphotoxin-alpha, were associated with a 1.31x increase in non-Hodgkin lymphoma (OR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.06-1.63; P = 0.01) and with a 1.64x increase in the subtype known as diffuse large B cell lymphoma (OR, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.23-2.19; P = 0.0007). The other four SNPS are listed below. The cytokine genes affect inflammatory and innate immune responses.


 * rs1800629
 * rs1799724
 * rs909253
 * rs2239704