IL-2RA rs2104286 gene Polymorphism among Egyptian population with Multiple Sclerosis: a case control study

Background: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a multifocal autoimmune disabling disease of the central nervous system. While several autoimmune diseases have been linked to IL-2RA gene polymorphisms, only a limited number of studies have investigated the association between the IL-2RA rs2104286 polymorphism and the risk of multiple sclerosis, with conflicting results.Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore the possible association between the IL-2RA gene rs2104286 polymorphism and the risk of MS in the Egyptian population.Methods: Two hundred Egyptians were included in this study; 100 patients diagnosed with MS, and 100 age-matched healthy volunteers were enrolled as controls. One ml of blood was withdrawn from all subjects and delivered to EDTA-containing tubes for genotyping of IL-2RA gene (rs2104286) polymorphism by T-ARMS-PCR method. Results: Our results showed a non-significant difference in IL-2RA (rs2104286) genotypes or allele distribution between MS patients and controls. Furthermore, there was no statistically significant difference between the studied SNP and other clinic-demographic characteristics of MS including disease onset, disease duration, EDSS score, or number of relapses, except for the AG genotype which was significantly correlated with a higher median age of the disease onset.Conclusion: The lack of association observed between the IL-2RA (rs2104286) polymorphism and the risk of MS, as well as most clinical and demographic parameters, suggest that the IL-2RA gene (rs2104286) may not serve as a reliable biomarker for MS susceptibility in the Egyptians. These findings highlight the need for further research in larger and more diverse populations to validate these observations.