Correlation between the single nucleotide polymorphisms of the human phosphodiesterase 4D gene and the risk of cerebral infarction in the Uygur and Han ethnic groups of Xinjiang, China

In this study, the correlation between the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at rs2910829 and rs918592 in the phosphodiesterase 4D (PDE4D) gene and cerebral infarction in the Uygur and Han ethnic groups of Xinjiang, China were examined. The study population consisted of 373 Uygur and Han patients with cerebral infarction and 377 Uygur and Han control participants with no nervous system diseases. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and gene sequencing methods were used to assess the SNPs at the rs2910829 and rs918592 loci in the PDE4D gene. The differences in genotype and allele frequency distribution were compared between the two groups. The C allele frequency of the rs2910829 locus in the PDE4D gene of the cerebral infarction group (81.0%) was significantly higher than that of the control group (76.4%) (P<0.05). Furthermore, the A allele frequency of the rs918592 locus in the PDE4D gene in the Uygur cerebral infarction group was significantly higher than that of the Uygur control group (P<0.05). There were no significant differences in the genotype and allele frequency distributions between the Uygur and Han groups (P>0.05). The A allele of the rs918592 locus may be associated with the occurrence of cerebral infarction in the Uygur population. In addition, it was indicated that the C allele of the rs2910829 locus in the PDE4D gene confers susceptibility to cerebral infarction; however, no significant difference was identified between Uygur and Han patients with cerebral infarction.