Genetic loci associated with nonobstructive coronary artery disease in Caucasian women

Nonobstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) in women is associated with adverse cardiovascular (CV) outcomes; however, information regarding genetic variants that predispose women to nonobstructive CAD is lacking. Women from the Women's Ischemia Syndrome Evaluation (WISE) Study and the St. James Women Take Heart (WTH) Study were genotyped with the Cardio-MetaboChip. WISE enrolled women with symptoms and signs of ischemia referred for coronary angiography; WTH enrolled asymptomatic, community-based women without heart disease. Analyses were conducted with a case (WISE) - control (WTH) design and multivariate logistic regression models to investigate genetic variation associated with likelihood of nonobstructive CAD. One genetic marker, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs2301753 on chromosome 6 in RNF39, achieved chip-wide significance for nonobstructive CAD ( P < 9.5 × 10−7). After adjusting for baseline characteristics, we found no variants achieved chip-wide significance. However, SNP rs2301753 on chromosome 6 in RNF39 was associated with reduced likelihood of nonobstructive CAD [odds ratio (OR) 0.42 and 95% confidence interval (CI) of 0.29 to 0.68], at a nominal level of P = 5.6 × 10−6, while SNP rs12818945 in the ATP2B1 locus on chromosome 12 was associated with increased odds for nonobstructive CAD (OR 2.38 and 95% CI of 1.63 to 3.45) and nominal P = 5.8 × 10−6. The functions of RNF39 and ATP2B1 raise the possibility that genes involved in cardio-dysfunction may contribute to nonobstructive CAD in Caucasian women and may provide insights into novel approaches for therapy and prevention. If replicated, incorporation of these genetic variants into diagnostic evaluation may identify women at high risk for nonobstructive CAD.

Comparison of Microsatellite and Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Markers for the Genetic Analysis of a Galloway Cattle Population

Highly informative genetic markers are essential for efficient management of cattle populations, as well as for food safety. After a decade of domination by microsatellite markers, a new type of genetic marker, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), has recently appeared on the scene. In the present study, the exclusion power of both kinds of markers with regards to individual identification and parental analysis was directly compared in a Galloway cattle population. Seventeen bovine microsatellites were distributed in three incremental marker sets (10, 14 and 17 microsatellite markers) and used for cattle genotyping. A set of 43 bovine SNP was used for genotyping the same cattle population. The accuracy of both kinds of markers in individual identification was evaluated using probability of identity estimations. These were 2.4 × 10-8 for the 10 microsatellite set, 2.3 × 10-11 for the 14 microsatellite set, and 1.4 × 10-13 for the 17 microsatellite marker set. For the 43 SNP markers, the estimated probability of identity was 5.3 × 10-11. The exclusion power of both kinds of markers in parental analysis was evaluated using paternity exclusion estimations, and, in addition to this, by estimation of the parental exclusion probability in 18 Galloway family trios. Paternity exclusion was estimated to be over 99% for microsatellites, and approx. 98% for SNP. Both, microsatellite and SNP sets of markers showed similar parental exclusion probabilities.