Genetic variant rs2301721 in the HOXA7 gene associates with leukemia risk in Jammu region of North India

rs2301721 in HOXA7 associates with leukemia

Abstract

Abstract

Leukemia is a heterogeneous disorder, characterized by a high proliferation of white blood cells. Various genetic studies have tried to reveal the role of contributory SNPs responsible for the development of leukemia. The HOXA7 gene is implicated in normal as well as in abnormal hematopoiesis. The role of present variant rs2301721 has previously been studied in various population groups; however, the role of this variant in Leukemia from the Jammu region is unclear.

Aim: In the present study, we investigated the genetic variant rs2301721 in the HOXA7 gene in leukemia patients from the Jammu region of North Indian Population.

Method: The variant was genotyped by using Sanger sequencing in 180 individuals (90 leukemic cases and 90 healthy controls). The association of SNP with the disease was evaluated by using logistic regression.

Results: It was observed that the variant rs2301721 of HOXA7 showed significant association with Leukemia risk in Jammu Population The allelic OR of variant rs2301721 in the HOXA7 gene was 1.54 (1.01 – 2.34) with p-value 0.004 and under H.W.E it was 0.838 when corrected for age, gender and BMI, smoking, alcohol.

 Conclusion: The present study concludes that the variant rs2301721 in the HOXA7 gene acts as a risk factor in the development of leukemia in the population of the Jammu region.

Keywords: Homeobox proteins; HOXA7; Linkage Disequilibrium (LD); Jammu region; Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs).