Journal of Genetic Medicine  2008;5(1):34-40

No association between endothelin-1 gene polymorphisms and preeclampsia in Korean population.

Shin Young KIM 1 ; So Yeon PARK ; Ji Hyae LIM ; Jae Hyug YANG ; Moon Young KIM ; Hyun Young PARK ; Kwang Soo LEE ; Hyun Mee RYU

Affiliations

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Keywords

Endothelin-1; Single-nucleotide polymorphism; Preeclampsia

Country

Republic of Korea

Language

English

Abstract

PURPOSE: Preeclampsia is a major cause of maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity and is considered to be a multifactorial disorder involving a genetic predisposition and environmental factors. Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is a potent vasoconstrictor peptide, and alterations in the ET-1 system are thought to play a role in triggering the vasoconstriction seen with preeclampsia. The aim of this study was to examine the frequency of the 4 common single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (c.1370T>G, c.137_139delinsA, c.3539+2T>C, and c.5665G>T) of the ET-1 gene in normotensive and preeclamptic pregnancies and to investigate whether these SNPs are associated with preeclampsia in pregnant Korean women. METHODS: We analyzed blood samples from 206 preeclamptic and 216 normotensive pregnancies using a commercially available SNapShot kit and an ABI Prism 3100 Genetic analyzer. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in genotype or allele frequencies of the 4 SNPs in the ET-1 gene between preeclamptic and normotensive pregnancies. The respective frequencies of the 3 haplotypes (TDTG, GDCT, and TICT; >10% haplotype frequency) were 61%, 13% and 13%, respectively, in preeclampsic pregnancies and 62%, 14% and 12%, respectively, in normotensive pregnancies. The frequencies of these haplotypes were similar for both groups. Using multiple logistic regression analysis, we did not observe an increase in the risk of preeclampsia for the 4 SNPs of the ET-1 gene under either a recessive or dominant model. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that the 4 SNPs of the ET-1 gene are not associated with an increased risk for preeclampsia in pregnant Korean women.