Left ventricular radial function associated with genetic variation in the cGMP-dependent protein kinase

cGMP-dependent protein kinase type I is a major mediator of cGMP signaling in the cardiovascular system. Recent studies on cardiac-specific PRKG1 knockout mice demonstrated that cGMP-dependent protein kinase type I mediates the negative inotropic effect of cGMP in the myocardium. We therefore investigated the association between left ventricular (LV) function and common polymorphisms in the PRKG1 gene in a general population. In 609 randomly selected participants (51.2% women; mean age, 48.8 years; 36.6% hypertensive) who were free from overt cardiac disease, we performed echocardiography and genotyped intronic tag single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) rs1904694, rs7897633, and rs7905063 in PRKG1. On the basis of color Doppler myocardial motion data, we calculated end-systolic longitudinal and radial deformation (strain) of the LV inferolateral wall. In multivariable-adjusted analyses accounting for confounders and relatedness, systolic radial strain was significantly (P ≤ 0.005) higher in homozygotes for rs1904694 (GG), rs7897633 (AA), and rs7905063 (TT) compared with heterozygotes or noncarriers. Haplotype analysis confirmed that LV radial strain was significantly higher in GAT homozygotes than in noncarriers (62.3% versus 56.0%; P = 0.0005). Transmission of the PRKG1 GAT haplotype to informative offspring was associated with higher LV radial strain (effect size, 6.11%; P = 0.017). For other LV phenotypes, none of the phenotype-genotype associations reached statistical significance. In conclusion, LV systolic radial function was associated with common polymorphisms in PRKG1. If experimental studies and longitudinal follow-up of LV function confirm the causality of this association, interference with cGMP-dependent protein kinase type I function might be a target for pharmacological intervention.