title: Vascular endothelial growth factor gene polymorphisms and choroidal neovascularization in highly myopic eyes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate a potential association between VEGF gene polymorphisms and the occurrence and/or the size of choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in highly myopic eyes.
  
  
  METHODS
  In the case-control study for CNV occurrence, 327 highly myopic Japanese patients were enrolled. One hundred and eighty-four patients had CNV in at least one eye, and 143 did not have CNV in either eye. Of the 184 patients with CNV, 83 patients were used to evaluate an association with CNV size, and an additional 76 patients with CNV were used to confirm the association. We genotyped four tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and four functional SNPs previously reported to be correlated with VEGF gene expression to evaluate the associations of these eight SNPs with CNV occurrence and size. To confirm the association between CNV size and VEGF gene polymorphism, the associated SNP was genotyped in 76 additional patients with myopic CNV.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no significant association between the occurrence of myopic CNV and the SNPs in the VEGF gene (P > 0.16). Of the eight SNPs evaluated, however, rs2010963 showed significant association with CNV area (P = 0.0047). This association was successfully replicated in the additional 76 eyes with myopic CNV, and pooled analysis revealed significant association of rs2010963 with CNV size (P = 0.00078).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  VEGF gene polymorphisms were not associated with CNV occurrence in highly myopic eyes but were significantly associated with the size of CNV, suggesting roles in the growth rather than the emergence of CNV.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Yumiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Akagi-Kurashige
authors.forename: Kyoko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kumagai
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamashiro
authors.forename: Hideo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakanishi
authors.forename: Isao
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nakata
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miyake
authors.forename: Akitaka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tsujikawa
authors.forename: Muka
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moriyama
authors.forename: Kyoko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ohno-Matsui
authors.forename: Manabu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mochizuki
authors.forename: Ryo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Fumihiko
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Matsuda
authors.forename: Nagahisa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yoshimura
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D044466:Asian People / Q000235:genetics; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D020256:Choroidal Neovascularization / Q000150:complications / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009216:Myopia / Q000150:complications / Q000235:genetics*; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A