Genetic variants of vascular endothelial growth factor-634 and vascular endothelial growth factor-936 in Circassians and Chechens subpopulations in Jordan

Abstract

Background: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a signaling protein that promotes the growth of new blood vessels in vasculogenesis and angiogenesis. The most important member of VEGF family is VEGF-A which bind to VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-2 and plays a major role in diseases that involve blood vessels such as Tumor Angiogenesis, Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) and Diabetic Retinopathy (DR). Objective: Studying the interindividual variability in VEGF by determining the allele frequency for certain genetic polymorphisms of VEGF-936 and VEGF-634 genes in two subpopulations in Jordan; Circassians and Chechens, as well as comparing the allele frequencies with other populations, including Jordanian Arabs. Methods: 319 unrelated healthy Circassian and Chechen individuals were genotyped for VEGF-936 and VEGF-634 by using PCR and RFLP. Results: We found that Circassians did not have any significant difference in allele frequencies of VEGF-634 compared to the Jordanian Arab population and all three populations had similar frequencies of VEGF-936. Conclusion: These findings provide genetic information that may serve as a basis for larger studies designed to assess variability associated with VEGF polymorphisms. They also provide important data for the implementation of personalized medicine in Circassians and Chechens populations living in Jordan.

Keywords

• VEGF
• Jordan
• Circassians
• Chechens
• Minorities
• Pharmacogenetics