Lack of association between the CALM 1 core promoter polymorphism (-16C/T) and susceptibility to knee osteoarthritis in a Chinese Han population

Background: CALM1 gene encodes calmodulin (CaM), an important and ubiquitous eukaryotic Ca2+-binding protein. Several studies have indicated that a deficient CaM function is likely to be involved in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis (OA). Using a convincing genome-wide association study, a Japanese group has recently demonstrated a genetic association between the CALM1 core promoter polymorphism (- 16C/T transition SNP, rs12885713) and OA susceptibility. However, the subsequent association studies failed to provide consistent results in OA patients of differently selected populations. The present study is to evaluate the association of the - 16C/T polymorphism with knee OA in a Chinese Han population. Methods: A case-control association study was conducted. The polymorphism was genotyped in 183 patients who had primary symptomatic knee OA with radiographic confirmation and in 210 matched controls. Allelic and genotypic frequencies were compared between patients and control subjects. Results: No significant difference was detected in genotype or allele distribution between knee OA and control groups (all P > 0.05). The association was also negative even after stratification by sex. Furthermore, no association between the - 16C/T SNP genotype and the clinical variables age, sex, BMI (body mass index) and K/L (Kellgren/Lawrence) score was observed in OA patients. Conclusion: The present study suggests that the CALM1 core promoter polymorphism - 16C/T is not a risk factor for knee OA susceptibility in the Chinese Han population. Further studies are needed to give a global view of this polymorphism in pathogenesis of OA.