TGF-beta1 gene variants linked to MI

[unseennude]

Findings from German researchers suggest that polymorphisms of the gene for transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGFB1) may increase or decrease the risk of MI.

TGFB1 is known to have vasculoprotective properties and, therefore, genetic variants that affect the function of the cytokine could influence MI risk, according to the report in the May issue of Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology.

The study involved an analysis of TGFB1 polymorphisms in 3657 patients with MI and 1211 control subjects with no evidence of coronary disease on angiography.

One polymorphism, denoted -509C/T, as well as a certain haplotype (CTGC) was linked to MI in men, independently of potential confounders, such as hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, smoking, and diabetes, lead author Dr. Werner Koch, from Deutsches Herzzentrum Munchen in Germany, and colleagues note.

The -509C/T polymorphism was tied to an elevated risk of MI in men (p = 0.007), whereas the CTGC haplotype was linked to a decreased risk (p = 0.001). In women, by contrast, the frequency of these genetic findings did not differ significantly between MI patients and controls.

"Common complex human disease, such as MI, are thought to be under the control of many genes that contribute modest individual effects," the authors conclude, "and TGFB1 may act in concert with or independently from other MI susceptibility loci."