TNNT2 Gene Polymorphisms Are Associated with Susceptibility to Idiopathic Dilated Cardiomyopathy in the Han Chinese Population

BACKGROUND Idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is characterized by ventricular chamber enlargement and systolic dysfunction. The pathogenesis of DCM remains uncertain, and the TNNT2 gene is potentially associated with DCM. To assess the role of TNNT2 in DCM, we examined 10 tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the patients. METHODS A total of 97 DCM patients and 189 control subjects were included in the study, and all SNPs were genotyped by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. RESULTS In the TNNT2 gene, there was a significant association between DCM and genotype for the tagging SNPs rs3729547 (χ(2) = 6.63, P = 0.036, OR = 0.650, and 95% CI = 0.453-0.934) and rs3729843 (χ(2) = 9.787, P = 0.008, OR = 1.912, and 95% CI = 1.265-2.890) in the Chinese Han population. Linkage disequilibrium (LD) analysis showed that the SNPs rs7521796, rs2275862, rs3729547, rs10800775, and rs1892028, which are approximately 6 kb apart, were in high LD (D' > 0.80) in the DCM patients. CONCLUSION These results suggest that the TNNT2 polymorphisms might play an important role in susceptibility to DCM in the Chinese Han population.