Association of Versican Gene Polymorphisms with Intracranial Aneurysm Susceptibility in the Eastern Chinese Population

Lei Zhu; Chuanqing Yu; Shuping Zhou; Min Xue; Jie Chen; Meijun Wu; Shuyang Dong; Guanmin Huang; Yueyue Chang; Mei Zhang

doi:10.2147/NDT.S338311

Association of Versican Gene Polymorphisms with Intracranial Aneurysm Susceptibility in the Eastern Chinese Population

Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2021 Dec 7:17:3531-3537. doi: 10.2147/NDT.S338311. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Lei Zhu¹, Chuanqing Yu¹, Shuping Zhou², Min Xue¹, Jie Chen³, Meijun Wu⁴, Shuyang Dong¹, Guanmin Huang⁵, Yueyue Chang¹, Mei Zhang¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurology, First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Science and Technology, First People's Hospital of Huainan, Huainan, 232007, People's Republic of China.
² Department of Gastroenterology, First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Science and Technology,First People's Hospital of Huainan, Huainan, 232007, People's Republic of China.
³ Department of Neurosurgery, General Hospital of Huainan Oriental Hospital Group, Huainan, 232007, People's Republic of China.
⁴ Department of Comprehensive Health Care, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310000, People's Republic of China.
⁵ Department of Neurosurgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Science and Technology, First People's Hospital of Huainan, Huainan, 232007, People's Republic of China.

Abstract

Objective: The proteoglycan versican (VCAN) plays an important role in extracellular matrix (ECM) assembly, and diminished maintenance of the ECM has been increasingly regarded as an important factor in the development of intracranial aneurysms (IAs). Previous studies have revealed that single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the VCAN gene are associated with susceptibility to IAs in European or Japanese populations. However, the association between IA susceptibility and VCAN SNPs in the Eastern Chinese population remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the associations of the SNPs rs251124, rs2287926, and rs173686 with IA susceptibility in the Eastern Chinese population.

Methods: A total of 162 patients with IA and 182 controls were enrolled in this study. The study was conducted between January 2017 and December 2020. SNP genotyping for rs251124, rs2287926, and rs173686 was performed using Kompetitive Allele Specific PCR (KASP) after DNA extraction. The SNP data were analysed with CFX Manager Software version 3.1 (Bio-Rad).

Results: rs251124 and rs173686 were significantly associated with susceptibility to IA. The frequency of rs251124-TT in IA was higher than in controls (OR =1.26, 95% CI: 1.07-1.49; P<0.01), and its risk mainly came from the T allele. Furthermore, logistic regression analysis showed that the T/T genotype and T allele of rs251124 were independent risk factors for IA (OR=1.726, 95% CI: 1.136-2.263; P=0.011). Moreover, the G/G genotype and G allele of rs173686 were associated with increased IA susceptibility (OR=2.52, 95% CI: 1.261-5.037; P=0.009).

Conclusion: The SNPs rs251124 and rs173686 were strongly associated with genetic susceptibility to IA in the Eastern Chinese population; however, no such association was found in the SNP rs2287926 of VCAN. Our findings suggest that the VCAN gene is an IA susceptible gene that should be further studied as a screening marker for IAs.

Keywords: Eastern Chinese population; SNP; VCAN gene; intracranial aneurysm; susceptibility.