Adiponectin receptor 1 gene (ADIPOR1) variant is associated with advanced age-related macular degeneration in Finnish population.

Adiponectin is an adipocyte-expressed protein that regulates the glucose, lipid, and energy metabolism via adiponectin receptors 1 and 2. Obesity is a known risk factor for age-related macular degeneration (AMD). We, therefore, examined associations of single nucleotide polymorphisms in Adiponectin (ADIPOQ) and Adiponectin receptors 1 and 2 (ADIPOR1 and ADIPOR2) genes with the prevalence of advanced AMD in Finnish population. Thirty-seven markers for ADIPOQ, ADIPOR1 and ADIPOR2 were genotyped in a sample collection of 91 men and 177 women having exudative AMD and 18 men and 26 women having severe atrophic AMD. Patients were diagnosed by fundus photographs and fluorescein angiography. The control group (no signs of AMD in fundus photographs) consisted of 55 men and 111 women. Inclusion criteria age was over 65 years old without diabetes diagnosis. Out of the tested SNPs, rs10753929 located in intron of ADIPOR1 gene was significantly associated (p=0.0471) with AMD status when using a permutation procedure that controlled for the number of tested genotypes and genetic models. Odds ratio (OR) for the association was 1.699 (95% CI 1.192-2.423). The SNP consists of C/T alleles and the risk allele T had a minor allele frequency (MAF) of 20.4%. Distribution of proportion of cases/controls between alleles revealed an additive genetic model. Our findings reveal that rs10753929 ADIPOR1 variant is a novel candidate for AMD genetic risk factor in Finnish population.