Cystathionine beta-synthase 844ins68 polymorphism is unrelated to susceptibility to neural tube defects

- CBS 844ins68 was comprehensively investigated as genetic risk factors for NTDs.
- CBS 844ins68 polymorphism is not a good predictor for NTD risk.
- Meta-analysis can increase the statistical power by pooling different studies.

ObjectiveCystathionine beta-synthase (CBS) 844ins68 polymorphism has been implicated in the development of neural tube defects (NTDs). However, the results of different studies are inconsistent. Thus, we conducted a meta-analysis to further investigate this association.MethodsPublished studies were retrieved from PubMed, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang Data. Studies that evaluated the association between CBS 844ins68 polymorphism and NTD risk among mothers, children, or fathers were included. The pooled odds ratios with 95% confidence interval were calculated using a fixed effects model or a random effects model.ResultsA total of eight studies on mothers (641 cases and 1145 controls), eight studies on children (852 cases and 1912 controls), and five studies (263 cases and 1562 controls) on fathers were included. The meta-analysis revealed no significant association between CBS 844ins68 polymorphism and NTD risk among mothers, children, and fathers under either genetic model.ConclusionThe present meta-analysis indicates that CBS 844ins68 polymorphism is not a good predictor of risk for NTDs.