Association study of polymorphisms in the receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) gene with susceptibility and prognosis of heart failure

Abstract

Background: Functional polymorphisms in the receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) gene have been implicated in several vascular diseases. However, to date, no study investigated the association of RAGE polymorphisms with heart failure (HF). Objective: In this study we tested the hypothesis that the 63-bp insertion/deletion, the - 374T > A (rs1800624) and the - 429T > C (rs1800625) polymorphisms in the RAGE gene might be associated with susceptibility to HF and could predict all-cause mortality in Brazilian outpatients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction. Methods: A total of 273 consecutive HF patients (196 Caucasian- and 77 African-Brazilians) and 334 healthy blood donors (260 Caucasian- and 74 African-Brazilians) were enrolled in a tertiary care university hospital. Genotyping of RAGE polymorphisms was done by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or PCR followed by enzyme restriction analysis. Results: The allele, genotype and haplotype frequencies of - 374T > A and - 429T > C polymorphisms were not significantly different between HF patients and healthy blood donors in both ethnic groups. However, among African-Brazilians, the frequency of carriership of the del allele was lower in HF patients than in blood donors (2.6% vs 12.2%, respectively, p = 0.008). Patients were followed-up for a median of 38. months and the survival analysis did not reveal a consistent association between RAGE polymorphisms and all-cause death in both ethnic groups. Conclusion: The - 374T > A and - 429T > C polymorphisms in the RAGE gene were not associated with the susceptibility and prognosis of HF. Notwithstanding, the 63-bp ins/del polymorphism might be involved in the susceptibility to HF in African-Brazilians. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.