title: Genetic association of the activin A receptor gene (ACVR2A) and pre-eclampsia.
abstract: Pre-eclampsia is a common serious disorder of human pregnancy, which is associated with significant maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. The suspected aetiology of pre-eclampsia is complex, with susceptibility being attributable to multiple environmental factors and a large genetic component. Recently, we reported significant linkage to chromosome 2q22 in 34 Australian/New Zealand (Aust/NZ) pre-eclampsia/eclampsia families, and activin A receptor type IIA (ACVR2A) was identified as a strong positional candidate gene at this locus. In an attempt to identify the putative risk variants, we have now comprehensively re-sequenced the entire coding region of the ACVR2A gene and the conserved non-coding sequences in a subset of 16 individuals from these families. We identified 45 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), with 9 being novel. These SNPs were genotyped in our total family sample of 480 individuals from 74 Aust/NZ pre-eclampsia families (including the original 34 genome-scanned families). Our best associations between ACVR2A polymorphisms and pre-eclampsia were for rs10497025 (P = 0.025), rs13430086 (P = 0.010) and three novel SNPs: LF004, LF013 and LF020 (all with P = 0.018). After correction for multiple hypothesis testing, none of these associations reached significance (P > 0.05). Based on these data, it remains unclear what role, if any, ACVR2A polymorphisms play in pre-eclampsia risk, at least in these Australian families. However, it would be premature to rule out this gene as significant associations between ACVR2A SNPs and pre-eclampsia have recently been reported in a large Norwegian (HUNT) population sample.
authors.affiliation: Department of Perinatal Medicine and University of Melbourne Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The Royal Women's Hospital, Parkville, Australia.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fitzpatrick
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: T D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Dyer
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Forrest
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Elliott
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Blangero
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Brennecke
authors.forename: E K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Moses
mesh_terms: D030301:Activin Receptors, Type II / Q000235:genetics*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics*; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000235:genetics*; D011247:Pregnancy
chemical_list: D030301:Activin Receptors, Type II