Functional variants in the lymphotoxin-alpha gene predict cardiovascular disease in dialysis patients

TNF-beta that is encoded by lymphotoxin-alpha gene (LTA) regulates adhesion molecules and IL-6. Previously, a genome-wide case-control study showed that LTA gene variants predisposed to cardiovascular disease (CVD). In a prospective study of 775 dialysis patients, LTA and IL-6 gene variants were tested as independent predictors of CVD risk. Four polymorphisms in the LTA gene and one in the IL-6 gene were genotyped. CVD events were ascertained from medical records. During a mean follow-up of 2.6 yr, 294 first-incident CVD events occurred. The LTA 26Asn variant predicted higher adjusted CVD risk (hazard ratio HR 1.33 for each additional copy of Asn allele; 95% confidence interval 1.14 to 1.55; P = 0.0003). Two other nonsynonymous polymorphisms in the LTA, 13Agr and 51Pro, were associated with lower inflammatory activity and CVD risk. LTA haplotypes (based on all four single-nucleotide polymorphisms) were associated with inflammatory markers and predicted CVD risk (P = 0.005) after adjustment. These LTA genotype associations were independent of the IL-6 -174G/C genotype association that was reported recently. LTA and IL-6 gene variants independently predicted risk for CVD among dialysis patients, suggesting that susceptibility in multiple inflammatory pathways contribute to the development of CVD.