Authors: Li H; Wang CY; Wang JX; Tang NL; Xie L; Gong YY; Yang Z; Xu LY; Kong QP; Zhang YP
Abstract: BACKGROUND: DC-SIGNR (also called CD209L) has been extensively studied on its role in host genetic predisposition to viral infection. In particular, variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) of the neck-region of DC-SIGNR is highly polymorphic and the polymorphism has been investigated for genetic predisposition to various infectious diseases, though conflicting results had been reported. As infection is a major cause of human death and a mechanism of natural selection, we hypothesized that VNTR polymorphism of DC-SIGNR might have an effect on human life span. METHODS: Here we collected 361 peri-centenarian individuals (age >or=94 for female and age >or=90 for male) and 342 geographically matched controls (age 22-53, mean 35.0 +/- 12.0) from Han Chinese. The VNTR polymorphism of the neck region was determined by PCR and genotype was called by separating the PCR products in agarose gel. RESULTS: A total of 11 genotypes and 5 alleles were found in our population. The genotype distribution, allele frequencies and homozygote proportion did not show a significant difference between peri-centenarian and control group. As gender differences in lifespan are ubiquitously observed throughout the animal kingdom, we then stratified the samples by gender. There was more 6/7 genotypes in female peri-centenarian group than that in female control group, at a marginal level of significance (5.56 vs. 1.28%, p = 0.041). The difference was not significant after correction by Bonferroni method. It suggests a possible differential effect of DC-SIGNR VNTR genotypes between sexes. Further studies are warranted to confirm our preliminary findings and investigate the mechanisms of the underlying functions. CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicated that there was absence of association between the neck region polymorphism of DC-SIGNR and longevity in Han Chinese population. But the question of whether the DC-SIGNR could affect longevity in a gender-specific pattern remains open.
Keywords: Aged, 80 and over; Alleles; Asian Continental Ancestry Group; Cell Adhesion Molecules/*genetics; China; Female; Gene Frequency; Genotype; Humans; Lectins, C-Type/*genetics; Longevity; Male; Minisatellite Repeats; Polymorphism, Genetic; Receptors, Cell Surface/*genetics|
Journal: BMC medical genetics Volume: 10 Pages: 134 Date: Dec. 17, 2009 PMID: 20003397 |
Li H, Wang CY, Wang JX, Tang NL, Xie L, Gong YY, Yang Z, Xu LY, Kong QP, Zhang YP (2009) The neck-region polymorphism of DC-SIGNR in peri-centenarian from Han Chinese population. BMC medical genetics 10: 134.
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