EPHX1 Y113H polymorphism is associated with increased risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Kazakhstan population

- Association between gene polymorphisms and COPD in the Kazakhstan is proposed.
- The C allele of EPHX1 gene (T113C) was significantly overrepresented in patients.
- For the TNF-a gene −308G/A polymorphism, no significant difference was found.
- T113C polymorphism in EPHX1 gene is associated with COPD in Kazakhstan.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a type of obstructive lung disease characterized by long term poor airflow which worsens over time. It is considered to be one of the top five chronic diseases of the world in terms of morbidity and mortality. Genetic variability has been found to contribute to the development of COPD. Although association between gene polymorphisms in EPHX1 and TNF-a genes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have been found but till date no genetic association studies have been done in the COPD affected Kazakhstan population. The aim of the present work was to investigate the association between the Y113H polymorphism (rs1051740) in EPHX1 gene and −308G/A polymorphism (rs1800629) in TNF-a gene and COPD in Kazakhstan population. A case-control study was conducted in Astana and Akmola regions of Kazakhstan, involving 55 cases with COPD and 52 healthy individuals who served as the controls. The polymorphisms were determined using conventional PCR and Sanger sequencing method. Results show that for the EPHX1 gene Y113H polymorphism, the presence of an “C” allele (TC/CC genotype) was significantly overrepresented in the COPD patients compared to the controls. For the TNF-a gene −308G/A polymorphism, no significant difference was found between the two groups. Thus we found that, Y113H polymorphism in EPHX1 gene contributed to increased susceptibility to COPD in the Kazakhstan population.