The etiology of preeclampsia is complex, with susceptibility being attributable to multiple environmental factors and a large genetic component. Although many candidate genes for preeclampsia have been suggested and studied, the specific causative genes still remain to be identified. Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) is an enzyme involved in catecholamine and estrogen degradation and has recently been ascribed a role in development of preeclampsia. In the present study, we have examined the COMT gene by genotyping the functional Val108/158Met polymorphism (rs4680) and an additional single-nucleotide polymorphism, rs6269, predicting COMT activity haplotypes in a large Norwegian case/control cohort (ncases = 1135, ncontrols= 2262). A low COMT activity haplotype is associated with recurrent preeclampsia in our cohort. This may support the role of redox-regulated signaling and oxidative stress in preeclampsia pathogenesis as suggested by recent studies in a genetic mouse model. The COMT gene might be a genetic risk factor shared between preeclampsia and cardiovascular diseases. © The Author 2011. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology.
CITATION STYLE
Roten, L. T., Fenstad, M. H., Forsmo, S., Johnson, M. P., Moses, E. K., Austgulen, R., & Skorpen, F. (2011). A low COMT activity haplotype is associated with recurrent preeclampsia in a Norwegian population cohort (HUNT2). Molecular Human Reproduction, 17(7), 439–446. https://doi.org/10.1093/molehr/gar014
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