Genetic markers for hypertension – a genetic epidemiological study of 5000 Romanian individuals

Background

During the past decades, genetic research has reached new heights as next generation sequencing has rapidly taken over and genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have broug.

The purpose of the research is to determin high-risk variants (Single-Nucleotide-Variants,SNVs) associated with hypertension (HTA) in the Romanian population.

The current presentation asseses the final results of a 3 part study comprising the first and the largest GWAS on hypertension in Romanians.

Material

Methods The total cohort includes a number of 5690 individuals, of which 2190 with hypertension and 3500 heathy controls.

Genetic testing was performed at in Iceland.

A multiple GWAS assay has been performed for the identification of variants associated with hypertension, hypertension risk factors and hypertension comorbidities.

Results

Environmental (lifestyle) risk factors, such as smoking, alcohol consumption and coffee consumption, and also pathological risk factors, as are obesity and ageing, were analyzed in association with hypertension.

Tissue-specific protein expression, gene function and gene-gene interactions have been analyzed for assessing a possible biological explanation of the association between the identified related variants and HTA. Expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) were assessed for variants in the reported locations for a better understanding of their involvement in HTA.

The results of the analysis revealed a number of over 5000 genetic variants statistically correlated with hypertension in the studied cohort, some well documented and in genes known to be involved in hypertension pathophysiology (clusters on chromosomes 1p36, 1q24, 3q24, 4p16, 5q12, 7q36, 12p12, 15q, 17q, 20q12, a.o. or CRNKL1, C19Orf12, CCDC51, C20Orf26, ZNF420, ZNF571, a.o. intragenic variants). Approx. 4100 SNVs were identified in correlation with diabetes mellitus and obesity.

Variants correlated with both hypertension and DM were identified (TBX20,ANK2, a.o. genes). Two other variant clusters (p=10–4–10–3) on chromosomes 19 (19q12) and 20 (20p11.21) revealed statistical correlations with both hypertension and obesity.

Conclusions

The present study found some important loci and clusters associated with HTA, which migh provide insights into the genetic architecture of this pathology.

The validity of these results for the Romanian population need to be confirmed by replication studies.

The current research is part of the EU ProMark, ROMCAN and AppGenEdu projects.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding source: None

Genome-wide association study of nephrolithiasis in an Eastern European population

PURPOSE

Nephrolithiasis is a urological pathology that occurs at high rates and carries a great burden in terms of costs. The probability of recurrence is significant, necessitating improvements in prophylaxis and understanding of the disease mechanism. Despite the high heritability of this disease, only five genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of nephrolithiasis have been published.

METHODS

We selected 335 unrelated confirmed nephrolithiasis cases from two major sample collection projects (blood and buccal swabs) in Romania. DNA was extracted from whole blood and buccal swabs at deCODE Genetics (Reykjavik, Iceland) and genotyped.

RESULTS

Single-nucleotide polymorphisms identified from this GWAS implicated biological pathways and gene ontologies involving solute transport, renal physiology, and calcium homeostasis. Three loci especially emerged as candidates with a highly significant association with nephrolithiasis: RS10917682 in Regulator of G protein signaling 5, which has crucial roles in mRNA regulation and has been linked to renal cell carcinoma; RS1118528 in Solute carrier family 25 member 24, which encodes a mitochondrial ATP-Mg/phosphate carrier protein that likely influences a variety of important cellular pathways; and the TOX2-associated locus rs4437026, because TOX2 is upregulated in several tumor types and linked to tumor progression.

CONCLUSION

This study is the largest kidney stone-related GWAS reported in an Eastern European population and the first GWAS performed in a Romanian population to investigate the genetic risk factors for nephrolithiasis. We identified several loci that warrant further investigation for a better understanding of this highly heritable condition.

Biological therapies in moderate and severe psoriasis: perspectives and certainties

An inflammatory, proliferative condition with chronic evolution and systemic response, psoriasis, is positioned today among the most common inflammatory skin diseases affecting the Caucasian population worldwide. With a significant incidence, psoriasis has been increasingly defined as a disease with a major impact on the patient's life and the society to which he/she belongs. This paper conducts an analysis of the currently available therapies for the treatment of moderate and severe psoriasis, therapies with biological agents obtained through sophisticated genetic engineering technologies. Recent research and the increasing interest in therapeutic methods as complete and efficient as possible make us optimistic and confident in the future.