Association between genetic variants at chromosome 9p21 and risk of coronary artery disease in Emirati Type 2 Diabetes patients

Background: Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is a complex multifactorial condition and the leading cause of death worldwide. Several Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) have reported significant CAD susceptibility genetic variants around the region at chromosome 9p21. It has also been reported that the same region is associated with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). However, the association of this region and CAD has not been investigated in the people of Arabian origin in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). CAD accounts for an alarming 30% of death in the country. In this study, five of the most reported genetic variants in region 9p21 were genotyped to assess their association with the incidence of CAD in Emirati patients with T2DM. Methods: The study cohort included 969 unrelated Emirati nationals, comprising 450 healthy, 341 T2DM with no CAD complication, and 178 T2DM with CAD complication. Genotyping of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) rs10757274, rs4977574, rs2383206, rs10757278 and rs1333049 were performed using qPCR. Results: Findings from this study do not support the notion of a critical role for chromosome 9p21 locus as T2DM with CAD risk in the Emirati population. Conclusion: GWAS will be required on a larger cohort of subjects of Arabian ancestry to identify variants that could be more specific to chronic diseases in Arabs.