Polymorphisms of LTA, LGALS2, and PSMA6 genes and coronary atherosclerosis: a pathological study of 1503 consecutive autopsy cases.
OBJECTIVE
Recent genome-wide association studies have identified polymorphisms of lymphotoxin-α (LTA), galectin-2 (LGALS2), and proteasome subunit a type 6 (PSMA6) genes as genetic risk factors for myocardial infarction (MI). However, their effects on coronary atherosclerosis, an intermediate phenotype of MI, remain largely unknown.


METHODS
We investigated the correlation between polymorphisms of the LTA, LGALS2, and PSMA6 genes and the severity of pathological coronary stenosis index (CSI) and MI in 1503 consecutive autopsy cases of Japanese elderly patients.


RESULTS
The polymorphisms LTA rs1041981 and LGALS2 rs7291467 were associated with CSI with odds ratios of 1.54 (95% CI, 1.17-2.01; AA+CA over CC) and 1.62 (95% CI, 1.11-2.37; TT over CC+CT), respectively. PSMA6 rs1048990 was not associated with CSI. None of the SNPs was associated with MI in our sample.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings indicate that the LTA and LGALS2 polymorphisms affect the subclinical phenotype of the coronary artery, which predisposes to the incidence of MI.
Department of Molecular Epidemiology, Medical Research Institute, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan. sikeda.epi@mri.tmd.ac.jp
Shinobu
S
Ikeda
Noriko
N
Tanaka
Tomio
T
Arai
Kouji
K
Chida
Masaaki
M
Muramatsu
Motoji
M
Sawabe
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001344:Autopsy; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D023921:Coronary Stenosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D037501:Galectin 2 / Q000235:genetics*; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D016015:Logistic Models; D008233:Lymphotoxin-alpha / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010641:Phenotype; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D015995:Prevalence; D046988:Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex / Q000235:genetics*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
D037501:Galectin 2; C511926:LGALS2 protein, human; D008233:Lymphotoxin-alpha; C465641:PSMA6 protein, human; D046988:Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex