Genetic variation rs6795970 of the SCN10A gene is associated with PR interval in young population of Republic of Moldova

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Abstract Background/Objectives The electrocardiographic PR interval reflects atrial and atrioventricular nodal conduction time. Prolongation of the PR interval increase risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart block. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified association of a nonsynonymous single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), rs6795970, in the SCN10A gene with PR interval in individuals of European and Asian ancestry. The aim of the study was to determine distribution of the genetic variants of rs6795970, associated with PR interval in young population of Republic of Moldova. Methods 1380 young participants from Republic of Moldova aged between 19–25 years, were genotyped for rs6795970 in the SCN10A gene, using TaqMan SNP Genotyping Assay. Results The genotype G/G, A/G, A/A distributions of rs6795970 among participants were 37%, 48%, 15%, respectively (χ2=0.086, p=0.770). The allele frequencies for G and A, in young participants were 61% and 39%, respectively. We observed association between rs6795970_A and a prolongation of the PR interval (p=0.003). Conclusions In our study, we determined that distribution of the genetic variants of rs6795970, associated with PR interval in young population of Republic of Moldova was consistent with 1000 Genomes data in the European population. Therefore, our data demonstrate that the A allele is associated with prolongation of the PR interval and at least 15% of all participants (the A/A genotype), may have an increased risk of conduction abnormalities. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): National project “Study of molecular genetic polymorphism of metabolic risk factors in young population of the Republic of Moldova National project “Identification and validation of genetic and epigenetic biomarkers in chronic non-communicable diseases with major impact on public health”