Genetic Variants in PCSK1 Gene Are Associated with the Risk of Coronary Artery Disease in Type 2 Diabetes in a Chinese Han Population: A Case Control Study

BACKGROUND: Insulin and glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), converted by proprotein convertase 1 (PC1/3) from proinsulin and proglucagon, are associated with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and coronary artery disease (CAD). The aim of this study is to investigate the association of PCSK1 gene, which encodes PC1/3, with the risk of CAD in Chinese patients with T2DM. METHODS: We selected and genotyped 5 haplotype-tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at PCSK1 gene (across 39873bp locus) in a case-control study of Chinese Han population involving 425 diabetic patients (62.1% male, mean age 63.2 years) with CAD as positive cases and 258 diabetic patients (44.2% male, mean age 62.0 years) without CAD as controls. RESULTS: The allele frequencies at rs3811951 were significantly different between cases and controls (30.7% vs. 37.2%), with the allele G associated with decreased risk for CAD (OR = 0.75, 95% CI = 0.59-0.94, p = 0.013). In recessive inheritance mode, the carriers of GG had a lower risk (OR = 0.50, 95%CI = 0.31-0.82, p = 0.005), even after adjusted for gender, age, BMI and smoking (OR = 0.43, 95%CI = 0.24-0.77, p = 0.004). The carriers of the minor allele A at rs156019 had a higher risk (OR = 1.66, 95%CI = 1.10-2.50, p = 0.016 after adjustment) in dominant inheritance mode. The SNP rs6234 was also significantly associated with CAD risk in women, with the carriers of the minor allele G at rs6234 associated with a reduced CAD risk in recessive inheritance mode (OR = 0.42, 95% CI = 0.18-0.95, p = 0.036 after adjustment). CONCLUSIONS: Our results found that common genetic variants in PCSK1 were associated with CAD in Chinese patients with T2DM.