The assessment of the relationship between variations in the apelin gene and coronary artery disease in Turkish population

Objective: Apelin is a novel endogenous peptide with inotropic and vasodilatory properties and is the ligand for the angiotensin receptor-like 1 (APJ) receptor. The aim of the study was to investigate the association of 2 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the apelin gene with susceptibility to coronary artery disease (CAD) in the Turkish population. Methods: The present observational case-control study consisted of 244 subjects (134 angiographically proven CAD patients and 110 healthy controls) aged 30-65 years. The association of 2 SNPs (rs3115758 and rs3115759) in the apelin gene and CAD risk was investigated. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to analyze the 2 SNPs in both the CAD and the healthy subjects. Allele and genotype frequencies between patients and control groups were compared using the Chi-square (χ2) test. The relationships of the 2 polymorphisms with the presence of CAD were determined with multiple binary logistic regression analysis after adjustment for CAD risk factors. Results: TT and AA risk genotypes of the rs3115758 and rs3115759 variants in the apelin gene were found to be significantly related with the risk of CAD with the same power (OR: 6.36, 95% CI: 1.41-28.6) (p=0.007). After adjustments for traditional CAD risk factors, the homozygous TT genotype for rs3115758 and AA genotype for rs3115759 increased the CAD risk, both with an OR of 5.91. Conclusion: Genetic variants in the apelin gene are significantly associated with the risk of CAD in the Turkish population.