Association of polymorphisms of the TNFRSF11B and TNFSF11 genes with bone mineral density in postmenopausal women from western Mexico

Abstract

Osteoporosis (OP) is a disease with reduced bone mass and deterioration of the spatial distribution of the trabecular bone structure, leading in consequence to increased bone fragility and risk of fractures [1]. In Mexico its frequency in postmenopausal women is 8.3% to 31% [2]. OP is a multifactorial disease because its development involves physiological, environmental and genetic factors [3]. Genes of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) family like TNFRSF11B (TNF receptor superfamily member 11b) and TNFSF11 (TNF superfamily member 11) encode for osteoprotegerin (OPG) and receptor activator for nuclear factor kB ligand (RANKL) proteins, respectively, that participate in the signaling pathway OPG/RANK/ RANKL, balancing the activity between osteoblasts and osteoclasts to prevent bone loss and to ensure normal bone turnover [4, 5]. Different single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes of this pathway are related to bone mineral density (BMD) or OP [6, 7]. In Mexican postmenopausal women, SNPs of the TNFRSF11B gene were studied but no association with BMD [8, 9] or OP [10] was observed; SNPs of the TNFSF11 gene have not been studied for OP.