Association between angiotensinogen T174M polymorphism and ischemic stroke: A meta-analysis

Genetic Polymorphism in Angiotensinogen and Its Association with Cardiometabolic Diseases

Angiotensinogen (AGT) is one of the most significant enzymes of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) which is involved in the regulation and maintenance of blood pressure. AGT is involved in the production of angiotensin I which is then converted into angiotensin II that leads to renal homeostasis. However, various genetic polymorphisms in AGT have been discovered in recent times which have shown an association with various diseases. Genetic polymorphism increases the level of circulating AGT in blood which exaggerates the effects produced by AGT. The associated diseases occur due to various effects produced by increased AGT levels. Several cardiovascular diseases including myocardial infarction, coronary heart disease, heart failure, hypertrophy, etc. are associated with AGT polymorphism. Other diseases such as depression, obesity, diabetic nephropathy, pre-eclampsia, and liver injury are also associated with some variants of AGT gene. The most common variants of AGT polymorphism are M235T and T174M. The two variants are associated with many diseases. Some other variants such as G-217A, A-6G, A-20C and G-152A, are also present but they are not as significant as that of M235T and T174M variants. These variants increase the level of circulating AGT and are associated with prevalence of different diseases. These diseases occur through various pathological pathways, but the initial reason remains the same, i.e., increased level of AGT in the blood. In this article, we have majorly focused on how genetic polymorphism of different variants of AGT gene is associated with the prevalence of different diseases.

AGT serves as a potential biomarker and drives tumor progression in colorectal carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is one of the most common aggressive tumors worldwide, and it is necessary to identify candidate biomarkers and therapeutic targets in CRC to improve patient outcomes.

METHODS

The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained from CRC microarray. Functional enrichment was performed to explore the function of DEGs, and core genes were identified by Cytoscape. Then, the diagnosis and prognosis markers were identified by ROC curve and survival analyses. More importantly, a series of in vitro studies were conducted in CRC cells to explore the function of the selected biomarker. Further, the drug response was performed by Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE) and Cancer Therapy Response Portal (CTRP). In addition, the effect of drug on CRC cells was evaluated by functional experiments.

RESULTS

The identified DEGs were mainly associated with the processes relating to tumorigenesis. 25 core genes were selected and angiotensinogen (AGT) was filtered out as a diagnosis and prognosis biomarker. Comprehensive in vitro experiments showed that AGT attributed to the proliferation, migration, and invasion of CRC cells, as well as angiogenesis of HUVECs induced by CRC conditional medium. Furthermore, drug response analysis implied that AGT expression was associated with isoliquiritigenins (ISL). Additionally, ISL could suppress the progression of CRC cells.

CONCLUSIONS

AGT is identified as diagnosis and prognosis prediction of CRC. Moreover, AGT attributes to the progression of CRC. Additionally, AGT exhibits fine drug response to ISL, and ISL is also evaluated as potential therapy drug in CRC.

Gene polymorphisms of angiotensin-converting enzyme and angiotensinogen and risk of idiopathic ischemic stroke

OBJECTIVE

The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is a hormonal signaling mechanism implicated in the atherosclerosis and regulation of blood pressure. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) a key enzyme in the RAS, plays important roles in vascular remodeling atherosclerosis, and ischemic stroke. The aim of this study was to examine the possible contribution of the I/D in the ACE gene, M235T and T174M in the angiotensinogen (AGT) gene polymorphisms with ischemic stroke in young Mexican population.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 224 patients with diagnosis of idiopathic ischemic stroke ≤45 years of age, and 224 controls matched by age and gender, were recruited from 2006 and 2016. The I/D, M235T and T174M polymorphisms were determined in all participants by PCR-RFLP.

RESULTS

There was a significant difference in the M235T genotype distribution (p = 0.01) and allele frequency between two groups (p = 0.01). Also, we found a significant difference in the T174M genotype distribution (p = 0.01) and the allele frequency between groups; (p = 0.02). In contrast, in I/D polymorphism, there was a similar genotype distribution; (p = 0.20) and allele distribution (p = 0.20). There were independent factors for ischemic stroke: M235T and T174M polymorphisms, smoking, hypertension, and familial history of atherothrombotic disease. The AGT levels were increased in the group of patients with stroke compared with the control group, but the AGT levels were not influenced by the allele or genotype in each polymorphism.

CONCLUSIONS

The M235T and T174M polymorphisms represented an increased risk for stroke in young Mexican individuals. In contrast, the I/D was not associated with in the same group of patients. The AGT levels were higher in the acute phase of stroke, but it was not determined by the polymorphisms.