Common variants in SCN10A gene associated with Brugada syndrome

Genome-wide association studies indicate that SCN10A plays an important role in cardiac electrophysiology. Common and rare SCN10A variants are suggested to contribute to Brugada Syndrome (BrS), an inherited channelopathy resulting from genetic-determined loss-of-function in cardiac sodium channel. This study sought to characterize the role of SCN10A common variants in BrS. Clinical and genetic analyses were performed in 197 patients diagnosed with BrS. Baseline ECG parameters were evaluated in patients carrying each of four common variants associated with BrS. Cellular electrophysiological study was performed in SCN5A-SCN10A co-transfected TSA201 cells to investigate the possible electrophysiological characteristics of the allele of rs6795970, which displayed the most significant association with BrS. Four SCN10A common variants (rs7630989, rs57326399, rs6795970, rs12632942) displayed significant association with BrS susceptibility. There were no evident associations between baseline ECG parameters in BrS patients and the different genotypes of the four variants. Rs6795970 (V1073) was strongly associated with a risk for BrS, which suggests the different electrophysiological characters between these two alleles. Functional study showed a positive shift in steady-state activation (V1/2: -62.2 ± 2.6 vs. -53.5 ± 1.6 for A1073 and V1073 group, respectively; P < 0.05) and slower recovery from inactivation in mutant SCN5A-SCN10A co-transfected cells with, which contribute to the slow conduction in BrS patients with rs6795970. In conclusion, SCN10A common variants are associated with increased susceptibility to BrS. An allele rs6795970 (V1073) increases the risk for BrS. The electrophysiological changes in a positive shift in steady-state activation and slower recovery from inactivation by SCN10A-V1073 contribute to this variant associated BrS.