Intracranial aneurysm (IA) is a pathological dilation of the intracranial artery. Subaracluioid hemorrhage caused by IA rupture is one of the serious neurological diseases. The mechanisms of IA formation and rupture are complex,in which genetic factors play important roles. Linkage analysis of familial cases could locate the susceptible regions of IA. With the development of the next generation sequencing technology, significant progress has been made in the genetic etiology of familial IA. This article reviews the studies on the genetic etiology of familial IA and provides references for the prevention and treatment of IA in the future.

PURPOSE: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have revealed that common variants on or near EDNRA, HDAC9, SOX17, RP1, CDKN2B-AS1, and RBBP8 genes are associated with intracranial aneurysm (IA) in European or Japanese populations. However, due to population heterogeneity, whether these loci are associated with IA pathogenesis in Chinese individuals is still unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate associations among GWAS-identified loci and risk of IA in a Chinese population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 765 individuals (including 230 IA patients and 535 controls) were involved in this study. Twelve single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of candidate loci were genotyped using the Sequenom MassARRAY platform. Associations were analyzed using univariate or multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: SNPs in CDKN2B-AS1 (especially rs10757272) showed significant associations with IA in dominant and additive models [odds ratio (OR), 2.99 and 1.43; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.44–6.24 and 1.10–1.86, respectively]. A SNP near HDAC9 (rs10230207) was associated with IA in the dominant model (OR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.01–1.99). One SNP near RP1 (rs1072737) showed a protective effect on IA in the dominant model (OR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.46–0.95), while another SNP in RP1 (rs9298506) showed a risk effect on IA in a recessive model (OR, 3.82; 95% CI, 1.84–7.91). No associations were observed among common variants near EDNRA, SOX17, or RBBP8 and IA. CONCLUSION: These data partially confirmed earlier results and showed that variants in CDKN2B-AS1, RP1, and HDAC9 could be genetic susceptibility factors for IA in a Chinese population.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Genome-Wide Association Study ; Humans ; Intracranial Aneurysm ; Logistic Models ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Population Characteristics