Highlights
- •We analysed association between connexin37 gene and cardiovascular disease.
- •Patients with ischemic heart disease and control population sample were studied.
- •We found strong protective effect of Cx37g T allele limited to non-smoking patients.
- •Stem cells were significantly higher in healthy non-smoking women – TT carriers.
- •Protective effect of the T allele of the Cx37 gene is strongly modified by smoking.
Abstract
Background
The connexin 37 (Cx37) gene is considered to be a candidate gene for ischemic heart
disease (IHD). We analyzed the association between the C1019 > T (Pro319 > Ser) variant
of the Cx37 gene and IHD in patients in the Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary and Romania
with regard to the presence/absence of selected cardiovascular risk factors (RF).
In a complementary study, we analyzed the association between the Cx37 gene and circulating
stem and endothelial progenitor cells in healthy women.
Methods
The study population comprised 2396 patients (663 women) with IHD. The control population
comprised 2476 subjects (1, 337 women). Additionally, in 662 healthy women, the association
between the Cx37 gene and circulating stem and endothelial progenitor cells was analyzed.
Results
The strongest protective effect of the Cx37 T allele was detected in non-smoking patients
without diabetes mellitus and hypertension (OR 0.610, 95% CI 0.377–0.990); a similar
effect was found in non-smoking men (OR 0.781, 95% CI 0.628–0.971); weaker effect
was found in non-smoking women (OR 0.768, 95% CI 0.560–1.050). In non-smoking healthy
women, stem cells were significantly higher in TT than in CT and CC carriers (p for
trend 0.011). Additionally, non-smoking TT carriers had significantly higher number
of stem cells than past and current smoking TT carriers (p for trend = 0.006); no
such trend was found in CT and CC carriers.
Conclusions
The protective effect of the T allele of the Cx37 gene might be strongly modified
by smoking; in women, this effect could be mediated through stem cells.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: November 09, 2015
Accepted:
November 4,
2015
Received in revised form:
November 4,
2015
Received:
July 22,
2015
Identification
Copyright
© 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
