Tumour necrosis factor alpha gene polymorphism: a predisposing factor to non-ischaemic myocardial dysfunction?

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Genetics
• Immunology
• Transplantation Science

Background:

• Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha (TNF alpha) plays a role in heart failure pathophysiology.
• Elevated plasma TNF alpha levels correlate with symptom severity in myocardial dysfunction.
• Genetic variations in TNF alpha may influence susceptibility to heart failure.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the prevalence of the TNF2 genetic variant in heart transplant recipients.
• To determine if TNF2 allele is overrepresented in patients undergoing heart transplantation.

Main Methods:

• Genotyping for TNF alpha was performed using polymerase chain reaction and gel electrophoresis.
• Heart transplant recipients (n=175) and healthy volunteers (n=212) were analyzed.
• Chi-squared tests and Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium calculations were used for population comparison.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in TNF2 allele frequency was observed between all heart transplant recipients and healthy controls.
• A higher proportion of TNF2 allele carriers was found in recipients with viral or idiopathic heart failure compared to those with ischemic heart failure (p=0.03).
• Patients with non-ischemic heart failure showed a higher prevalence of the TNF2 allele than healthy volunteers (p=0.05).

Conclusions:

• The TNF2 allele is overrepresented in patients with end-stage non-ischemic myocardial dysfunction.
• This genetic finding may indicate a predisposition in a subset of patients.
• The results suggest potential benefits from anti-TNF alpha treatment in these patients.