A genome-wide association study of recipient genotype and medium-term kidney allograft function

We examined, through genome-wide association studies (GWAS), the correlation between recipient genetic variation and renal function at five yr.

Our cohort contained 326 Irish, first time, kidney-only, deceased donor, transplant recipients on calcineurin inhibitors (263 had a functioning graft at five yr) between 1993 and 2002. Outcomes were creatinine at five yr and long-term graft function.

Two variants were identified showing borderline genome-wide significance - one on chromosome 18 (p = 4.048e-08, rs6565887) and another on chromosome 14 (p = 7.631e-08, rs3811321). Individually, the two SNPs explained up to 8.8% and 11.29% of five-yr creatinine variance, respectively, while together they explained up to 17.4% of trait variance. Both variants were predictors of long-term allograft function (p = 0.004, 70% vs 30% survival at 10 yr). The chromosome 14 variant is located in the intergenic region of the T-Cell Receptor Alpha locus.

Using a genome-wide approach, we have identified two associations with five-yr creatinine levels in renal transplant recipients treated with calcineurin inhibitors. Independent replication is now warranted to clarify the clinical significance of these results.