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Correlation between Toll-like Receptor Gene Polymorphisms and Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome in Chinese Children

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Abstract

Objective

Idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS) is the most common glomerular disease in children. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) have been reported to be associated with response to steroid treatment in children with INS. Nevertheless, the correlation between TLR genes and the progression of INS has not yet been clarified. The present study aimed to investigate the association of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in TLR2, TLR4, and TLR9 with susceptibility to INS as well as the clinical phenotyping of steroid responsiveness in Chinese children with INS.

Methods

A total of 183 pediatric inpatients with INS were included and given standard steroid therapy. Based on their clinical response to steroids, the patients were classified into three groups: steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome (SSNS), steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome (SDNS), and steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS). A total of 100 healthy children were employed as controls. The blood genome DNA was extracted from each participant. Six SNPs (rs11536889, rs1927914, rs7869402, rs11536891, rs352140, and rs3804099) in TLR2, TLR4, and TLR9 were selected and detected by multiplex polymerase chain reaction with next-generation sequencing to assess TLR gene polymorphisms.

Results

Among the 183 patients with INS, 89 (48.6%) had SSNS, 73 (39.9%) had SDNS, and 21 (11.5%) had SRNS. No significant difference was found in the genotype distribution between healthy children and patients with INS. However, the genotype and allele frequencies of TLR4 rs7869402 were significantly different between SRNS and SSNS. Compared with patients with the C allele and CC genotype, patients with the T allele and CT genotype had an increased risk of SRNS.

Conclusion

TLR4 rs7869402 affected the steroid response in Chinese children with INS. It might be a predictor for the early detection of SRNS in this population.

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Acknowledgments

We thank all the children and their families who participated in this study for their cooperation.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Both authors contributed equally to this study.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatric and Adolescent, Children’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Hangzhou, 310052, China

    Hui-hui Gao

  2. Department of Clinical Laboratory, Children’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Hangzhou, 310052, China

    Wei Li & Xin-yi Shou

  3. Department of Nephrology, Children’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Hangzhou, 310052, China

    Jian-hua Mao

Authors
  1. Hui-hui Gao
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  2. Wei Li
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jian-hua Mao.

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Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

This study was funded by the Science and Technology Projects of Zhejiang Province (No. LGC21H200004), the Key Research and Development Plan of Zhejiang Province (No. 2019C03028), and the Medical Scientific Projects from Health Department of Zhejiang Province (No. 2018KY455).

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Gao, Hh., Li, W., Shou, Xy. et al. Correlation between Toll-like Receptor Gene Polymorphisms and Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome in Chinese Children. CURR MED SCI 43, 585–591 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11596-023-2728-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11596-023-2728-3

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