Our meta-analysis found that the rs2277438 polymorphism in <i>RANKL</i> gene increased the risk of RA, whe</span>reas <i>RANK</i> gene rs1805034, <i>OPG</i> gene rs3102735, <i>OPG</i> gene rs2073618, <i>OPG</i> gene rs3134069 polymorphisms were not related to RA susceptibility.
These results indicate that SNP of TNFRSF11B (rs2073618 and rs3102735) and TNFSF11 (rs2277438</span>) may not be susceptibility factors for RA in Chinese Han population.
The minor allele of the RANK SNP rs35211496 may be protective against RA, while the minor alleles of the RANKL SNP rs2277438 may increase susceptibility to RA.
The C risk allele of rs7984870 conferred 2-fold higher plasma RANKL levels in RF-positive patients with RA, significantly elevated RANKL messenger RNA expression in activated normal T cells, and increased promoter activity after stimulation in vitro via differential binding to the transcription factor SOX5.
The frequency of the minor allele of rs9533156 of RANKL was significantly higher in patients with RA than in HC (OR 0.84, 95% CI 0.71-0.99, p = 0.047).