Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in the Phospholipase A2 Receptor Gene Are Associated with Genetic Susceptibility to Idiopathic Membranous Nephropathy

BACKGROUND: The phospholipase A(2) receptor (PLA2R) is a major antigen found in patients with idiopathic membranous nephropathy (MN). The relationship of genetic polymorphisms of PLA2R with the susceptibility and clinical outcomes of this disease is unknown. METHODS: We studied 199 patients with idiopathic MN followed up for 3.7 ± 3.2 years. We enrolled 33 patients with secondary MN and 356 subjects with normal blood pressure and no proteinuria. PLA2R single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped. RESULTS: The allele frequencies of C in rs35771982 and G in rs3828323 were 73.6 and 73.9%, respectively. Subjects with the CC genotype in rs35771982 had a higher susceptibility to idiopathic MN compared to subjects with other genotypes (odds ratio 2.6; 95% confidence interval 1.8-4.0). Patients with secondary MN were not different from controls with regard to PLA2R genotype. No impact of genetic polymorphisms on renal survival was detected. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study suggest that PLA2R SNPs might be associated with the risk of developing MN.