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Updated: Jul 14, 2025

Determining the Likelihood of Variant Pathogenicity Using Amino Acid-level Signal-to-Noise Analysis of Genetic Variation
Published on: January 16, 2019
Functional mutation, splice, distribution, and divergence analysis of impactful genes associated with heart failure
Ishani Mhatre1, Habiba Abdelhalim1, William Degroat1
1Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, Rutgers University, 112 Paterson Street, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA.
Insights
This study identifies key genes like FLNA and HBA1 associated with cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and heart failure (HF). Genetic analysis reveals common mutations and their functional impact, aiding in early diagnosis and personalized CVD treatment.
Area of Science:
- Genomics
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Human Genetics
Background:
- Cardiovascular disease (CVD) encompasses complex, heritable conditions with high mortality, particularly heart failure (HF).
- Identifying genetic susceptibility factors is crucial for early diagnosis and personalized treatment strategies in CVD patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate genes associated with heart failure and other cardiovascular diseases.
- To analyze whole genome sequence data for identifying genetic variants and their functional impact on CVD.
Main Methods:
- Whole genome sequencing (WGS) of serum samples from thirty-five consented patients.
- Performed functional mutation, splice, variant distribution, and divergence analyses.
- Variant and prevalence analysis to identify enriched pathways and significant genes.
Main Results:
- FLNA, CST3, LGALS3, and HBA1 were linked to numerous enrichment pathways.
- ACE, MME, LGALS3, NR3C2, PIK3C2A, CALD1, TEK, and TRPV1 were identified as potentially significant genes.
- Intron, 5' UTR, 3' UTR, and 3' Flank mutations were most common; missense mutations had greater functional impact.
Conclusions:
- Genetic variants in genes such as FLNA, HBA1, and LGALS3 play a significant role in cardiovascular diseases.
- Understanding mutation types and their prevalence offers insights into CVD pathogenesis.
- This research contributes to the foundation for precision medicine approaches in managing cardiovascular conditions.
Abstract:
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is caused by a multitude of complex and largely heritable conditions. Identifying key genes and understanding their susceptibility to CVD in the human genome can assist in early diagnosis and personalized treatment of the relevant patients. Heart failure (HF) is among those CVD phenotypes that has a high rate of mortality. In this study, we investigated genes primarily associated with HF and other CVDs. Achieving the goals of this study, we built a cohort of thirty-five consented patients, and sequenced their serum-based samples. We have generated and processed whole genome sequence (WGS) data, and performed functional mutation, splice, variant distribution, and divergence analysis to understand the relationships between each mutation type and its impact. Our variant and prevalence analysis found FLNA, CST3, LGALS3, and HBA1 linked to many enrichment pathways. Functional mutation analysis uncovered ACE, MME, LGALS3, NR3C2, PIK3C2A, CALD1, TEK, and TRPV1 to be notable and potentially significant genes. We discovered intron, 5' Flank, 3' UTR, and 3' Flank mutations to be the most common among HF and other CVD genes. Missense mutations were less common among HF and other CVD genes but had more of a functional impact. We reported HBA1, FADD, NPPC, ADRB2, ADBR1, MYH6, and PLN to be consequential based on our divergence analysis.
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