Association between the Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist (IL1RN) Variable Number of Tandem Repeats (VNTR) Polymorphism and Lymphoma

Lymphoma is a common hematopoietic cancer. Immunosuppression is one of the main risk factors for the development of lymphoma. The interleukin (IL)-1 receptor antagonist IL1RN, which binds to the IL-1 receptor, moderates a variety of immune responses related to IL-1. We aimed to assess the impact of IL1RN variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) polymorphism on lymphoma risk in an Iranian population sample.

DNA was extracted from peripheral blood of 120 subjects with non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL), 50 subjects with Hodgkin’s lymphoma (HL), and 186 unre lated healthy individuals. IL1RN VNTR polymorphism was detected using polymerase chain reaction.

Our findings revealed that the IL1RN VNTR polymorphism was associated with protection against NHL (P≤0.001, OR: 0.30, 95% CI: 0.18-0.53). The IL1RN 2 allele significantly decreased the risk of NHL (p = 0.023, OR = 0.66, 95%CI = 0.46–0.93). In addition, we found that IL1RN 1/2 was associated with a lower risk of HL (p ≤0.001, OR = 0.24, 95%CI = 0.12–0.50).

Our results suggest that the presence of IL1RN VNTR polymorphism is associated with a decreased risk of lymphoma in an Iranian subpopulation in southeast Iran.