Genotyping study could direct new treatment of cardiovascular disease
Researchers carry out meta-analysis to look for genotypes associated with cardiovascular risk symptoms.
A group of researchers from Queen Mary University of London (London, UK) have recently presented their research into genetic associations for certain blood pressure traits. Their findings, which are published in a recent edition of the American Journal of Human Genetics, could have implications in future treatment of cardiovascular disease.
The research involved a meta-analysis of 50,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms in up to 87,736 individuals, which was then replicated in another 68,368 individuals. The team looked for certain genotypes associated with risk factors for cardiovascular disease – namely systolic blood pressure, mean arterial pressure, diastolic blood pressure and pulse pressure.
The team found 11 previously undescribed associations, in addition to confirming 27 that had been previously reported. These loci were analyzed with a bioinformatics approach, which confirmed putative roles in hypertension. The team then analyzed databases of small molecules, to look for possible pharmacological targets. Ten of the 11 loci were predicted to be targets for small molecules; thus indicating the potential for these discoveries in future drug discovery and development.
Source: Tragante V, Barnes MR, Santhu K et al. Gene-centric meta-analysis in 87,736 individuals of european ancestry identifies multiple blood-pressure-related loci. Am. J. Hum. Genet. DOI:10.1016/j.ajhg.2013.12.016 (2014) (Epub ahead of print).
