Lack of Association with PEDF Met72Thr Variant in Neovascular Age-related Macular Degeneration and Polypoidal Choroidal Vasculopathy in a Han Chinese Population

Purpose: To investigate whether Met72Thr (rs1136287), a common single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) variant of the pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) gene, is associated with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) or polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) in a Han Chinese cohort. Methods: We genotyped Met72Thr (rs1136287) in persons of Han Chinese descent: 177 PCV patients, 131 nAMD patients, and 182 control persons. Genotyping was accomplished using the Multiplex SNaPshot system and by direct DNA sequencing. Genotypes and allele frequencies of patients and controls were evaluated for the SNP using PLINK software. Results: The minor allele frequency of the PEDF Met72Thr variant did not differ significantly between either PCV or nAMD and the control group: p = 0.3822 and p = 0.9822, respectively. The p-values for the additive, dominant, and recessive models were not statistically significant for PCV or nAMD. Conclusions: No evidence was found to support a role for the Met72Thr variant in susceptibility to either PCV or nAMD in a Han Chinese cohort.