Val109Asp polymorphism in Intelectin 1 gene is associated with coronary artery disease severity in women

OBJECTIVE
Intelectin-1 is an anti-inflammatory adipokine encoded by the Intelectin 1 (ITLN1) gene. Genetic variations in the ITLN1 gene affect the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) and related CAD risk factors. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether the ITLN1 gene Val109Asp polymorphism has an effect on the severity of CAD and serum lipid levels in both men and women.

METHODS
A total of 493 subjects who underwent coronary angiography (43.5% women, mean age 63.1±9.5 years) were grouped as individuals with critical CAD (≥70% stenosis, n=202), non-critical CAD (31%-69% stenosis, n=90), and non-CAD (control group) (1%-30% stenosis, n=201). Genotyping was performed using LightSNiP assay in Real-Time PCR.

RESULTS
The frequency of the Val allele was significantly different among all the patients with critical CAD (n=41) and non-CAD control (n=51) groups in women (p=0.033) but not in men (n=77 and n=38). Women with the Val allele had a 1.69-fold increased risk for critical CAD (p=0.033). In addition, the presence of Val allele was associated with higher coronary stenosis after adjustment for several confounders
only in women with critical CAD (p=0.025). Furthermore, carriers of the Val allele exhibited an increased low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in men with critical CAD than in those with non-CAD (p<0.05).

CONCLUSION
These results suggest that the Val allele of the ITLN1 Val109Asp polymorphism is associated with critical CAD and high LDL-C levels in our study population. Further studies are required to elucidate the effect of Val109Asp polymorphism on CAD pathogenesis.