The relationship between HSP60 gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to atherosclerosis

To explore the potential correlation between heat shock protein 60 (HSP60) gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to atherosclerosis.

A total of 160 atherosclerosis patients treated in our hospital from February 2017 to February 2019 were randomly enrolled as case group, and 200 healthy adults receiving physical examination were selected as control group at the same period. Venous blood was drawn from all subjects to extract deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). TaqMan probe technology was employed to genotype two loci rs2340690 and rs788016 of HSP60 gene in all 260 subjects. The correlations between HSP60 gene polymorphisms and the incidence rate and pathological grade of atherosclerosis were analyzed.

There were three genotypes (AA, AG, and GG) in HSP60 rs2340690 and three (GG, AG, and AA) in HSP60 rs788016. No significant differences in the frequency of each genotype were found between the two groups (p>0.05). HSP60 rs2340690 and HSP60 rs788016 had no significant associations with the incidence rate of atherosclerosis in the dominant, recessive, and additive genetic models. In the case of pathological grade IV, the proportion of atherosclerosis patients carrying GG genotype of HSP60 rs2340690 was higher than those carrying AA genotype and AG genotype of HSP60 rs2340690 (p<0.05). The probability in atherosclerosis patients carrying rs788016 A was higher than those carrying rs2340690 G (p<0.05). When atherosclerosis patients carried both genotype G of HSP60 rs2340690 and genotype A of HSP60 rs788016, the odds ratio (OR) was 1.721 (p=0.049).

The HSP60 gene polymorphisms are certainly correlated with the pathological grade and incidence rate of atherosclerosis.