Complement C3 gene polymorphisms are associated with lipid levels, but not the risk of coronary artery disease: a case-control study

Abstract

Abstract Background Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Previous studies have shown that complement component 3 (C3) is associated with atherosclerosis and cardiovascular risk factors. Methods We conducted this study to evaluate the associations between tagSNPs in the C3 gene locus and the CAD susceptibility and lipid levels in the Chinese population. A hospital-based case-control study, including 1017 subjects (580 CAD patients and 437 non-CAD controls), was conducted. TagSNPs in the C3 gene were searched and genotyped by using the polymerase chain reaction-ligase detection reaction method. Results The C3 levels were positively associated with the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels (r = 0.269, P = 0.001). Compared with those in controls, the serum C3 levels in CAD patients were significantly higher (Control: 0.94 + 0.14 g/l; CAD: 1.10 + 0.19 g/l, P 0.05). Conclusions The results revealed that C3 gene polymorphisms were associated with the lipid levels, but not CAD susceptibility in the Chinese population.

Keywords

• Coronary artery disease
• Complement C3
• Gene
• Polymorphism
• Haplotype