MedWire News: Genetic variations in two genes are associated with bone mineral density (BMD) in premenopausal Chinese women, research shows.
Polymorphisms in the genes ALOX15 and ALOX12 "may contribute to the variations in peak BMD that are observed in Chinese women," write Zhen-Lin Zhang (Shanghai Jiaotong University, China) and colleagues in the journal Osteoporosis International.
Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in both genes have previously been shown to be associated with BMD in other population-based studies. The genes are located on chromosome 17p13, which has been linked with femoral neck BMD in White women in genome-wide association studies.
SNPs in the promoter region of ALOX15 have also been linked to BMD in Japanese individuals, whereas there was no association in young White women.
In this latest analysis, Zhang and colleagues conducted a family-based association analysis of 10 SNPs in the ALOX15 and ALOX12 genes in 1260 individuals from 401 Chinese families using the quantitative transmission disequilibrium test (QTDT).
The analysis revealed a significant association between the ALOX15 SNP rs916055 and BMD in the lumbar spine .
ForALOX12, the SNP rs312470 was significantly associated with BMD in the femoral neck. In addition, rs2292350 was significantly associated with BMD in the lumbar spine, femoral neck, and total hip.
Previous studies have shown rs916055, to be associated with a high BMD in the lumbar spine of Hong Kong women, but not in White women from the UK, the team notes.
The researchers conclude that further studies examining the association between ALOX15 and ALOX12 genotypes and multiple phenotypes should be performed.
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