Polymorphisms of the HSD17B6 and HSD17B5 genes in Chinese women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the polymorphisms of the 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 5 and type 6 (HSD17B5 and HSD17B6) genes in Chinese women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

METHODS

Two hundred twenty-two PCOS patients and 283 controls were studied. Menarche age was recorded. Body mass indices (BMI) were calculated. Blood samples were obtained for single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analyses and hormone measurements. Genotyping of HSD17B6 and HSD17B5 in cases and controls was performed by the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method.

RESULTS

The SNP rs898611 of the HSD17B6 gene (TT, CT, CC) in women with PCOS (0.680, 0.270, 0.050, respectively) did not differ from those in controls (0.700, 0.258, 0.042, respectively), and the SNP rs3763676 of the HSD17B5 gene (AA, AG, GG) was rare in Chinese women. Total testosterone and other reproductive hormones, such as follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), LH/FSH, and estradiol (E(2)), were also similar among the different genotypes of the HSD17B6 in the PCOS subjects and the controls, whereas BMI was different in the three genotypes of the HSD17B6 in PCOS subjects.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data suggest that there is no association of HSD17B6 and HSD17B5 variants with the occurrence of PCOS in the Chinese population, but the polymorphism of SNP rs898611 is associated with BMI in PCOS patients.