A novel study to examine the association of PCSK9 rs505151 polymorphism and coronary artery disease in north Indian population.

There is a drastic increase in the number of people suffering from coronary artery disease (CAD) worldwide with Indians being no exception. Being a developing country and experiencing a dramatic shift in lifestyle and eating habits, urbanization and industrialization, all these factors have collectively predisposed the Indian population towards CAD and the prevalence data arequite alarming. Genetic studies have disclosed the role of genes in CAD susceptibility and severity. One such gene is proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 ( PCSK9 ) which is sought to modulate the cholesterol levels and hence, has implications in CAD. We aim to explore the association of PCSK9 A/G (rs505151) polymorphism and hence, the susceptibility towards CAD in the north Indian population. Five-hundred angiographically confirmed CAD patients and 500 healthy individuals as control were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Statistical analysis revealed a significant association with the G allele with odds ratio (OR)=1.50, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.22-1.85 and P =0.000. Also, a strong association was observedfor CAD risk with OR=1.590, 95% CI=1.106-2.284 and P =0.012. However, the homozygous GG mutant genotype was found to be completely absent from our population. Analysis of the dominant model also revealed an association with CAD risk. Our work demonstrated for the first time the association of PCSK9 A/G (rs505151) polymorphism with CAD risk in the north Indian population.