Single nucleotide polymorphisms of the DGKB and VCAM1 genes are associated with granulocyte colony stimulating factor-mediated peripheral blood stem cell mobilization

We previously reported the association between LDL cholesterol level (LDL-C) and granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF)-mobilized peripheral blood (PB) hematopoietic stem cells (HSC). In this study, we investigated the association between gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) involved in hematopoiesis and lipid level and PBHSC mobilization. In 46 patients who underwent peripheral blood stem cell harvest (PBSCH), we measured CD34-positive cells in PB and PBSCH, and the patients were classified into good, intermediate, or poor mobilizer groups based on the CD34-positive cell counts. And SNPs of the OR4C12, ENO1, RERE, DGKB, DSC3, VCAM1, CD44, and FADS1 genes were investigated. The frequency of the TT type of the DGKB gene was higher in the poor mobilizer group compared to other groups (p < 0.05), whereas that of the CC type of the VCAM1 gene was high in the good mobilizer group (p < 0.05). Association with the efficiency of HSC mobilization to PB were found in the SNPs of the DGKB gene involved in cell transport and SDF-1-induced migration ability and of the VCAM1 gene which is essential for HSC homing, suggesting that SNPs involved in cell migration ability might be partly involved in HSC mobilization to PB.