Objective: To investigate the association of CD14 and Toll-like receptor (TLR4) with ankylosing spondylitis (AS).
Methods: A promoter variant in CD14 and 2 coding polymorphisms in TLR4 were investigated in UK and Finnish families with AS and in a UK case-control study. A metaanalysis of published TLR4 and CD14 studies was performed.
Results: In the Finnish study the CD14-260bp T variant showed an association (p = 0.006), and the common 2-marker TLR4 haplotype showed a weak association (global p = 0.03), with AS. No associations were seen in the UK based studies or in the metaanalyses.
Conclusion: CD14 and TLR4 showed an association with AS in the Finns only.