Evaluating VEGFR1 genetic polymorphisms as a predisposition to AMD in a cohort from northern China.

ABSTRACTObjective: The association among genetic variants in VEGFR1 and a predisposition to age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in a northern cohort from China was evaluated.Methods: A retrospective case-control correlation study was conducted on 432 cases and 906 gender-and ethnicity-matched controls. Whole DNA was isolated from peripheral blood samples after the individuals underwent detailed eye examinations. Eight single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in VEGFR1 genes were genotyped for all individuals using a MALDI-TOF technique. The distribution of genotypes was analyzed for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and the relationships among the genotype and allele frequencies with AMD were evaluated by age-adjusted logistic regression analysis. The measurement of linkage disequilibrium (LD) was carried out by Haploview 4.2. Bonferroni testing was employed to correct for multiple comparisons.Results: Among the SNPs genotyped, p values of six SNPs were less than 0.05 between AMD cases and unaffected controls. ...