Functional Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor −634G>C SNP Is Associated With Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy

A case-control study in a Brazilian population of European ancestry

  1. Flavia I.V. Errera, PHD12,
  2. Luís Henrique Canani, MD, PHD3,
  3. Maria Elisabeth R. Silva, MD, PHD4,
  4. Erika Yeh1,
  5. Walter Takahashi, MD, PHD5,
  6. Katia G. Santos, PHD6,
  7. Katia E.P. Souto, PHD7,
  8. Balduíno Tschiedel, MD, PHD7,
  9. Israel Roisenberg, MD, PHD6,
  10. Jorge Luis Gross, MD, PHD3 and
  11. Maria Rita Passos-Bueno, PHD1
  1. 1Human Genome Center, Department of Genetics and Evolutive Biology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
  2. 2Morphology Department, College of Health Science of Vitoria (EMESCAM), Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil
  3. 3Endocrine Division, Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
  4. 4Laboratory of Medical Investigation LIM-18, Hospital das Clinicas of the University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil
  5. 5Ophthalmology Department, Hospital das Clinicas of the University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil
  6. 6Genetics Department, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
  7. 7Endocrinology Division, Conceição Hospital, Porto Alegre, Brazil
  1. Address correspondence and reprint requests to to Maria Rita Passos-Bueno, Rua do Matão, 277, Departamento de Genética e Biologia Evolutiva, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil, CEP 05508-900. E-mail: passos{at}ib.usp.br

Abstract

OBJECTIVE—The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) −634G>C at the 5′ regulatory region of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the risk of proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) in the Brazilian population of European ancestry with type 2 diabetes.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—A case-control study was conducted in 501 type 2 diabetic patients of European ancestry. Patients underwent a standardized clinical, ophthalmological, and laboratory evaluation. Of these, 167 patients had PDR (case patients), and 334 were considered as control subjects (patients without PDR) for PDR. A reference population (110 individuals of European ancestry) was also evaluated.

RESULTS—No evidence of association between −634G>C/VEGF and the presence of diabetic retinopathy or type 2 diabetes was observed (P > 0.05). However, CC homozygous for the SNP −634G>C was significantly more frequent in patients with PDR (37 of 167; 22.2%) than in the corresponding control group (40 of 334; 12%) in accordance with a recessive model (P = 0.003). This effect was further observed when creatinine, BMI, sex, duration of type 2 diabetes, HDL cholesterol, and systolic blood pressure were taken into account (odds ratio 1.9 [95% CI 1.01–3.79], P = 0.04).

CONCLUSIONS—The presence of the allele −634C/VEGF in homozygosity is an independent risk factor for the development of PDR in type 2 diabetic patients of European ancestry.

Footnotes

  • A table elsewhere in this issue shows conventional and Système International (SI) units and conversion factors for many substances.

    The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked “advertisement” in accordance with 18 U.S.C Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.

    • Accepted October 26, 2006.
    • Received July 4, 2006.
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  1. doi: 10.2337/dc06-1399 Diabetes Care February 2007 vol. 30 no. 2 275-279
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