PURPOSE

Genetic susceptibility is an important pathogenic mechanism in diabetic kidney disease (DKD). However, the specific gene variant associated with DKD susceptibility remains unclear. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR), an important indicator for the process of DKD, has a heritable component. This study aimed to explore whether these GFR-related single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were associated with DKD.

METHODS

GFR-related SNPs were collected from the Phenotype-Genotype Integrator (PheGenI) database. SNPs for population cohort analysis were selected following the criteria of complete records of eQTL and MAF > 5% in the Chinese Han population. Totally 498 subjects participated, including166 patients with DKD, 166 patients with T2DM, and 166 controls. The genotypes of SNPs were determined using a Sequenom MassARRAY system. Plink software was employed to analyze the SNP-SNP interactions.

RESULTS

By screening the GFR-related SNPs recorded in the PheGenI database, four SNPs (rs1260326, rs17319721, rs35716097, and rs6420094) were finally selected to investigate the association with DKD. It was shown that one of the four SNPs was related to DKD. The G allele of SLC34A1 rs6420094 was associated with a decreased risk of DKD in DKD and T2DM groups (OR 0.716; P = 0.049). Genetic model analysis revealed that rs6420094 was a protective factor for DKD in T2DM in a dominant model and an additive model (P = 0.03; P = 0.032, respectively). Although rs17319721 was not associated with the risk of DKD, the SNP-SNP interactions between rs17319721 and rs6420094 predicted a significantly decreased risk of DKD (OR 0.464; P = 0.047).

CONCLUSION

SLC34A1 rs6420094 was associated with a decreased DKD risk in the Chinese Han population. SNP-SNP interaction between rs17319721 and rs6420094 was associated with a lower risk of DKD.