Genetic variants, immune function, and risk of pre-eclampsia among American Indians

To determine the prevalence in an American Indian population of genetic variants with putative effects on immune function and determine if they are associated with pre-eclampsia (PE).

In a study of 66 cases and 130 matched controls, six single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) with either previously demonstrated or postulated modulating effects on the immune system were genotyped. Allele frequencies and various genetic models were evaluated by conditional logistic regression in both univariate and multiply adjusted models.

Although most genetic variants lacked evidence of association with PE, the minor allele of the CRP related, rs1205 SNP in a dominant model with adjustment for age at delivery, nulliparity, and body mass index, exhibited an odds ratio of 0.259 (95% CI of 0.08-0.81, P=0.020) in relation to severe PE (48 cases). The allelic prevalence of this variant was 46.1% in this population.

Of the six SNPs related to immune function in this study, a functional variant in the 3'UTR of the CRP gene was shown to be associated with severe PE in an American Indian population.