ABSTRACT
The C677T methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene polymorphism and the G20210A mutation at the 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) of the prothrombin gene may be considered to be genetic risk factors that contribute to the clinical heterogeneity in sickle cell disease. The current study investigated a group of sickle cell (SS) patients from Salvador-Bahia, Northeast Brazil in order to determine the prevalence of these polymorphisms, using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphim (RFLP) techniques. Out of 69 SS patients diagnosed with the C677T MTHFR gene polymorphism, 13 (18.6%) were heterozygous and four (5.7%) homozygous. The G20210A mutation was not found in 50 SS patients investigated. These results became important once the C677T MTHFR gene polymorphism was found to be an independent risk factor for vascular disease, a common clinical event in sickle cell disease.
Subject(s)
3' Untranslated Regions/genetics , Anemia, Sickle Cell , Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (NADPH2)/genetics , Point Mutation/genetics , Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length , Prothrombin/genetics , Vascular Diseases/genetics , Anemia, Sickle Cell/complications , Brazil , Female , Humans , Male , Risk Factors , Vascular Diseases/etiologyABSTRACT
The beta(S)-globin haplotypes were studied in 78 sickle cell Brazilian patients from Bahia, Northeast Brazil, that has a large population of African origin. Hemoglobin (Hb) profiles were developed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and beta(S)-globin gene haplotypes were determined by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) techniques. We identified 44 (55.0%) patients with the CAR/Ben (Central African Republic/Benin) genotype, 16 (20.0%) Ben/Ben, 13 (16.2%) CAR/CAR and seven (8.8%) with other genotypes. Analyses of the phenotypes showed clinical differences related only to Hb F levels and blood transfusion therapy; the presence of -alpha(-3.7)-thalassemia (thal) demonstrated statistical significance when associated with hematocrit (p=0.044), MCV (p=0.0007), MCH (p=0.012) and spleen sequestration events. The haplotype diversity found in the present study can be justified by information about the origin of the slave traffic period in Bahia during the 19th century. The specific characteristics described among the Bahian sickle cell patients could be confirmed by increasing the number of patients with specific genotypes and further studies of genetic markers.
