Association of Tenascin-C Gene Polymorphisms with Risk of Acute Coronary Syndrome in South Indian Population: A Case-Control Genetic Association Study.

Background: The extracellular matrix (ECM) glycoprotein changes are associated with the pathogenesis and complications of atherosclerosis, leading to acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Tenascin-C (TNC), an ECM protein, has been implemented in the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and prognosis of patients with cardiovascular disease. Aim: The study aimed to compare the genetic variants of the TNC gene (rs13321, rs2104772, and rs12347433) between South Indians with ACS and healthy participants. Materials and Methods: This case-control study recruited 150 ACS patients as cases and 150 healthy participants as controls. TNC genotyping was performed using TaqMan 5'-exonuclease allele discrimination assay. Serum TNC levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: Serum TNC levels were significantly higher in cases compared with controls. No significant difference was observed in allele and genotype frequencies of rs13321, rs2104772, and rs12347433 between cases and controls, which was confirmed by dominant, recessive, codominant, and homozygotic genetic models. The patients with heterozygous genotypes of rs13321, rs2104772, and rs12347433 had significantly lower serum TNC levels than patients with respective homozygous genotypes. Haplotype analyses revealed that the C-T-A haplotype in the block of rs13321-rs12347433-rs2104772 was associated with lower ACS risk (OR = 0.33, 95% CI: 0.15 - 0.75; p  = 0.005). Also, the C-T-T and G-T-A haplotypes of the TNC gene were associated with higher and lower serum TNC levels, respectively. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated no genetic association between single nucleotide polymorphisms of the TNC gene and ACS risk; however, the C-T-A haplotype of the TNC gene might be associated with reduced ACS risk in South Indians.