In Uttar Pradesh (UP, India), there are people with distinct lifestyle, behavior, culture and socioeconomic status. However, genetic data of communities in UP are very limited. A 86bp variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR) in intron 2 of Interleukin 1 Receptor Antagonist (IL-1RN) gene has gained attention since cytokine genes are associated with several immune-inflammatory diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cancer. An attempt was made to study genetic difference amongst 5 different groups (Urban, Kanjar, Khatik, Kharwar and Saharia) using IL-1RN gene polymorphism. A total of 290 unrelated healthy subjects with individual consent were enrolled and 86bp IL-1RN VNTR polymorphism was carried out using PCR. Four alleles (I, II, III and IV) were observed (410, 240, 500, 325bp respectively). Allele IV was found in Saharia community like urban group. Genotype and allele frequencies of all four groups were compared with urban as reference (SPSS,v21.0) and that of Saharias was significantly different (P=0.037; P<0.001). In conclusion, the study demonstrated genetic heterogeneity with respect to IL-1RN 86bpVNTR. Allele IV may be used as a biomarker for Saharia community. Such studies shall provide a lead for future research in deciphering inheritance pattern of complex diseases on the basis of demographic differences.
