The Association of Growth Differentiation Factor-15 Gene Polymorphisms with Growth Differentiation Factor-15 Serum Levels and Risk of Ischemic Stroke

• Published in: Journal of stroke and cerebrovascular diseases Vol. 26; no. 10; pp. 2111 - 2119
• Main Authors: Xiang, Yang, Zhang, Ting, Guo, Jing, Peng, You-Fan, Wei, Ye-Sheng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.10.2017
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Asian Continental Ancestry Group - genetics; Brain Ischemia - blood; Brain Ischemia - diagnostic imaging; Brain Ischemia - ethnology; Brain Ischemia - genetics; Cardiovascular; China - epidemiology; Female; GDF-15; gene; Gene Frequency; Genetic Association Studies; Genetic Predisposition to Disease; Growth Differentiation Factor 15 - blood; Growth Differentiation Factor 15 - genetics; Haplotypes; Heterozygote; Homozygote; Humans; Ischemic stroke; Male; Middle Aged; Neurology; Phenotype; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; Retrospective Studies; Risk Assessment; Risk Factors; single-nucleotide polymorphisms; Stroke - blood; Stroke - diagnostic imaging; Stroke - ethnology; Stroke - genetics; Ischemic stroke; gene; single-nucleotide polymorphisms; GDF-15
• ISSN: 1052-3057; 1532-8511; 1532-8511
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2017.04.031

Current evidence shows that growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) plays an important role in the progression of ischemic stroke (IS). The aim of this study was to investigate the association between 3 single-nucleotide polymorphisms of the GDF-15 gene and IS susceptibility in the Chinese population. The study subjects comprised 601 Chinese individuals, including 298 stroke patients and 303 age- and gender-matched healthy controls. The polymorphisms were measured using snapshot single-nucleotide polymorphism genotyping assays and confirmed by sequencing. Serum GDF-15 (sGDF-15) levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The distribution of rs1804826G/T polymorphism was significant different between the 2 groups (P < .05). Compared with the rs1804826 G allele, the rs1804826 T allele was significantly associated with an increased risk of IS (P < .05). Haplotype analyses showed that the T-T-G haplotype was significantly associated with an increased risk of IS (odds ratio = 1.671, 95% confidence interval = 1.231-2.268; P = .001). Compared with the normal controls, the sGDF-15 levels were significantly increased in stroke patients (P < .001). Besides, patients carrying rs1804826 GT/TT genotypes had higher sGDF-15 levels compared with those carrying GG genotypes (P < .05). The GDF-15 gene rs1804826G/T polymorphism and sGDF-15 levels are associated with IS in the Chinese population. Our data indicate that the GDF-15 gene may play a role in the development of IS.