Toll-like receptor 1 and 10 polymorphisms, Helicobacter pylori susceptibility and risk of gastric lesions in a high-risk Chinese population

• 3 novel SNPs in TLRs were analyzed in a population at high risk of gastric cancer.
• H. pylori susceptibility may be explained partially by TLR1 and TLR10 variants.
• TLR1 and TLR10 polymorphisms play important roles in gastric pathogenesis.
• Joint effects of TLRs SNPs and H. pylori infection contribute to gastric lesions.
• TLRs haplotypes were associated with H. pylori infection and gastric lesions.

Genetic polymorphisms of Toll-like receptor (TLR) 1 and 10 may influence Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) susceptibility. To evaluate associations between TLR1 and 10 polymorphisms, H. pylori infection, and precancerous gastric lesions, a population-based study was conducted in a high-risk Chinese population.Three single-nucleotide polymorphisms, TLR1 rs4833095, TLR10 rs10004195, and TLR10 rs4129009 were genotyped by TaqMan SNP genotyping assay in 2553 participants with diverse gastric lesions. The status of H. pylori infection was determined by 13C-urea breath test.TLR1 rs4833095 T and TLR10 rs10004195 T alleles were the minor alleles and showed in linkage disequilibrium (D′ = 0.98, r2 = 0.73) in the Chinese population. A decreased risk of H. pylori infection was observed in subjects with TLR1 rs4833095 CT genotype [adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 0.80; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.66–0.96] or T allele (OR = 0.82; 95%CI: 0.69–0.99). Moreover, subjects carrying TLR1 rs4833095 TT genotype were associated with reduced risks of chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG, OR = 0.66; 95%CI: 0.45–0.97) and intestinal metaplasia (IM, OR = 0.57; 95%CI: 0.36–0.90). The risk of CAG was also decreased in subjects carrying TLR10 rs10004195 T allele (OR = 0.75; 95%CI: 0.57–0.99). Furthermore, haplotype analysis indicated that haplotype TT of rs4833095 and rs10004195 had a protective effect on H. pylori infection (OR = 0.83; 95%CI: 0.72–0.96) or precancerous gastric lesions (OR = 0.78; 95%CI: 0.64–0.96 for CAG, and OR = 0.74; 95%CI: 0.57–0.96 for IM).These findings suggest that TLR1 rs4833095 and TLR10 rs10004195 may play crucial roles in H. pylori susceptibility and gastric pathogenesis.