Associations of functional alanine-glyoxylate aminotransferase 2 gene variants with atrial fibrillation and ischemic stroke

Seppälä, Ilkka; Kleber, Marcus E.; Bevan, Steve; Lyytikäinen, Leo-Pekka; Oksala, Niku; Hernesniemi, Jussi A.; Mäkelä, Kari-Matti; Rothwell, Peter M.; Sudlow, Cathie; Dichgans, Martin; Mononen, Nina; Vlachopoulou, Efthymia; Sinisalo, Juha; Delgado, Graciela E.; Laaksonen, Reijo; Koskinen, Tuomas; Scharnagl, Hubert; Kähönen, Mika; Markus, Hugh S.; März, Winfried; Lehtimäki, Terho (2016): Associations of functional alanine-glyoxylate aminotransferase 2 gene variants with atrial fibrillation and ischemic stroke. In: Scientific Reports, Vol. 6, 23207

Abstract

Asymmetric and symmetric dimethylarginines (ADMA and SDMA) impair nitric oxide bioavailability and have been implicated in the pathogenesis of atrial fibrillation (AF). Alanine-glyoxylate aminotransferase 2 (AGXT2) is the only enzyme capable of metabolizing both of the dimethylarginines. We hypothesized that two functional AGXT2 missense variants (rs37369, V140I;rs16899974, V498L) are associated with AF and its cardioembolic complications. Association analyses were conducted using 1,834 individulas with AF and 7,159 unaffected individuals from two coronary angiography cohorts and a cohort comprising patients undergoing clinical exercise testing. In coronary angiography patients without structural heart disease, the minor A allele of rs16899974 was associated with any AF (OR = 2.07, 95% CI 1.59-2.68), and with paroxysmal AF (OR = 1.98, 95% CI 1.44-2.74) and chronic AF (OR = 2.03, 95% CI 1.35-3.06) separately. We could not replicate the association with AF in the other two cohorts. However, the A allele of rs16899974 was nominally associated with ischemic stroke risk in the meta-analysis of WTCCC2 ischemic stroke cohorts (3,548 cases, 5,972 controls) and with earlier onset of first-ever ischemic stroke (360 cases) in the cohort of clinical exercise test patients. In conclusion, AGXT2 variations may be involved in the pathogenesis of AF and its age-related thromboembolic complications.

• Item Type: Journal article
• Faculties: Medicine > Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research (ISD)
• Subjects: 600 Technology > 610 Medicine and health
• ISSN: 2045-2322
• Language: English