Pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A polymorphism and the risk of recurrent pregnancy loss

Pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A)/insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-4 (IGFBP4) protease is a member of the metzincin family of metalloproteases, known as a sensitive biomarker of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Recently, a missense A/C (Tyr/Ser) polymorphism (dbSNP: rs7020782) in the PAPPA gene has been reported. To examine the association between recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) and this polymorphism, a case-control study of 215 cases with two or more pregnancy losses (PLs) and 420 fertile controls was performed. Genotyping of the PAPPA polymorphism was determined by allelic discrimination using fluorogenic probes and the 5′ nuclease assay. Sixty-nine cases (32.1%) were heterozygous and 11 cases (5.1%) were homozygous for the C allele of PAPPA; the respective figures were 127 (30.2%) and 11 (2.6%) in the controls. Women carrying the C allele had a tendency to increased risk of RPL (AA genotype [reference]; AC genotype: odds ratio [OR], 1.17; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.82–1.68; CC genotype: OR, 2.06; 95% CI, 0.87–4.90), but it was not significant. Women with three or more PLs had a similar tendency (AA genotype [reference]; AC genotype: OR, 1.04; 95% CI, 0.66–1.64; CC genotype: OR, 2.20; 95% CI, 0.82–5.91). The risk of RPL with at least one PL after 9 weeks’ gestation significantly increased in women carrying the C allele (AA genotype [reference]; AC genotype: OR, 1.54; 95% CI, 0.95–2.49; CC genotype: OR, 2.83; 95% CI, 1.00–8.05; AC + CC genotypes: OR, 1.65; CI, 1.04–2.62). This is the first report on the PAPPA gene polymorphism in women with RPL, demonstrating some association between the investigated polymorphism and the risk of RPL.