HTR1B gene variants associate with the susceptibility of Raynauds’ phenomenon in workers exposed hand-arm vibration

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Chen, Qingsong^{a; *} | Lang, Li^a | Xiao, Bin^a | Lin, Hansheng^a | Yang, Aichu^a | Li, Hongling^a | Tang, Shichuan^b | Huang, Hanlin^{a; *}

Affiliations: [a] Guangdong Prevention and Cure Centre of Occupational Diseases, Guangzhou, China | [b] Key Laboratory of Occupational Health and Safety, Beijing Municipal Institute of Labor Protection, Beijing, China

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author: Qingsong Chen, MD, Haikang road No. 68, Haizhu district, Guangzhou city, CA510300, China. Tel.: +86 2089266013; Fax: +86 2034063101; E-mail: qingsongchen@aliyun.com and Hanlin Huang Prof., Haikang road No. 68, Haizhu district, Guangzhou city, CA510300, China. E-mail: huanghl@gdoh.org.

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To explore whether polymorphic variants of the HTR1B gene are associated with the susceptibility of Raynauds’ Phenomenon (RP) coursed by vibration. METHODS: 148 subjects exposed to vibration for more than 2 years were classified into either induced white finger (VWF) group (n = 72), or non-VWF group (n = 76). Vibration exposure levels were measured and assessed following ISO 5349-1:2001 protocol. All workers were genotyped by sequencing for the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the 5′-flanking and coding region of HTR1B. Genetic characteristics and linkage disequilibrium (LD) were analyzed with Haploview. Serum serotonin levels of each subject were detected using ELISA. The association between the susceptibility of vascular damage and genotype was analyzed via logistic regression. RESULTS: 7 known SNPs were obtained and their allele frequencies were inserted into the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. rs6297 variant genotype had an increased risk of VWF compared with wild genotype (OR = 2.14, 95% CI = 1.04– 4.58, P < 0.05). rs6298 mutant type (AG+GG) was found to have a significant interaction on vibration exposure LN(CEI), accounting for VWF occurrence. LN(5-HT) level is significantly different between the VWF group (x¯±s= 1.99±1.09 ng/mL) and the non-VWF group (x¯±s= 2.72±1.47 ng/mL). CONCLUSIONS: Serotonin levels may affect the progression of secondary RP. Polymorphic variants of the HTR1B gene are associated with the susceptibility of secondary RP in vibration-exposed occupational populations of Chinese Han people.

Keywords: Raynauds’ Phenomenon (RP), HTR1B, single nucleotide polymorphisms, vascular damage, vibration-induced white finger (VWF)

DOI: 10.3233/CH-152021

Journal: Clinical Hemorheology and Microcirculation, vol. 63, no. 4, pp. 335-347, 2016