Association of AHSG gene polymorphisms and aortic stiffness in peritoneal dialysis patients.
OBJECTIVE
Fetuin-A is a negative acute-phase reactant and extraosseous calcification inhibitor. Decreased serum concentration of fetuin-A is independently related to all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in dialysis patients. Our aim is to investigate the association between the genetic polymorphism of alpha(2)-Heremans-Schmid-glycoprotein (AHSG) encoding fetuin-A and its serum concentration, vascular calcification, and aortic stiffness in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients.


METHODS
A total of six single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the AHSG gene were genotyped and evaluated for association with serum fetuin-A level, quantitative measures of vascular calcification and aortic stiffness represented by heart-to-femoral pulse wave velocity (hfPWV).


RESULTS
Five SNPs in the AHSG gene were nominally associated with the serum fetuin-A level in our PD patients. In haplotype analyses, there were haplotypes positively (H1; AGCA, H2; CC) and inversely (H1; TTCG, H2; TT) related with the serum fetuin-A level. The serum fetuin-A level inversely and independently correlated with hfPWV. Moreover, the serum fetuin-A concentration was a determinant for the simple vascular calcification score (SVCS), which subsequently was associated with hfPWV.


CONCLUSIONS
Our study showed an association between AHSG polymorphism and its serum concentration, and also revealed an association of the serum fetuin-A level with SVCS and aortic stiffness in PD patients.
Jung
Ji Yong
JY
Department of Internal Medicine, Gachon University of Medicine and Science, Incheon, Korea.
Hwang
Young-Hwan
YH
Lee
Hajeong
H
Ro
Han
H
Lee
Hankyu
H
Chung
Wookyung
W
Chae
Dong-Wan
DW
Joo
Kwon Wook
KW
Ahn
Curie
C
Oh
Kook-Hwan
KH
D000328:Adult; D001011:Aorta / Q000473:pathology; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics*; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010530:Peritoneal Dialysis; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D014652:Vascular Diseases / Q000235:genetics*; D060749:alpha-2-HS-Glycoprotein
C556354:AHSG protein, human; D001798:Blood Proteins; D060749:alpha-2-HS-Glycoprotein