Galectin-3, a 35 kDa protein, is the only known member of chimera type galectin family. A growing body of evidences demonstrated the pro-inflammatory role of galectin-3 in the pathogenesis of Rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Keeping in view the pivotal role of galectin-3 in pathogenesis of RA, the present case-control study was designed for genotypic and phenotypic screening of galectin-3 in RA.
A case-control association study recruited 200 RA patients and 200 age- as well as gender- matched (p >0.05) controls, after written informed consent. A total of eight SNPs were selected on the basis of in silico analysis, which were subjected to genetic analysis using different techniques. LD was calculated and different haplotypes were constructed.
Significant association of three SNPs i.e. rs1009977, rs4644, and rs74050921 along with elevated galectin-3 levels were observed with susceptibility towards RA. Further, high prevalence of TACGTAGC haplotype were observed in RA patients. In addition to the studied SNPs, eight novel variants were also identified in the CRD region of LGALS3. Genotype phenotype correlation indicated significant elevated galectin-3 levels among different genotypes in rs1009977 and rs74050921.
The findings of the present study may indicate the role of galectin-3 and its variants in pathogenesis of RA.