Complement components 2 and 7 (C2 and C7) gene polymorphisms are not major risk factors for SLE susceptibility in the Malaysian population

There have been numerous studies linking complement components and the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This is due to their numerous roles in modulating immune responses in the human body. This study examined the association of C2 and C7 genetic polymorphisms with the susceptibility to SLE based on two separate cohorts of patient and control samples from Malaysia. The 28-bp deletion in the C2 exon-intron junction and single nucleotide polymorphism in the 3'untranslated region in the C7 genes were detected based on direct polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism, respectively. A total of 150 patient and 150 healthy control samples were screened, but there was no association detected between either genes. All individuals presented with null deletion in C2 genes, while the C allele and CC genotypes were most commonly scored. These overall results suggest a lack of strong association with the C2 and C7 gene polymorphisms to the susceptibility of SLE in the Malaysian population.