Lysyl oxidase polymorphisms and ischemic stroke--a case control study.

Ischemic stroke is a common neurological disease and causes severe disability and death worldwide. Lysyl oxidase (LOX) plays a crucial role in the maintenance of extracellular matrix stability and may participate in vascular remodeling in the development of ischemic stroke. The objective of this study is to identify polymorphisms in LOX genes and investigate the association between LOX polymorphisms and the susceptibility to ischemic stroke in the Chinese population. Genomic DNA sequencing analysis was performed on all 7 exons and all exon/intron splice sites of lysyl oxidase and 850 bp upstream, including the predicted promoter region in 25 control subjects. The identified polymorphisms were then detected by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) in 702 ischemic stroke cases and 733 age-matched controls. Data were analyzed using the Chi-square test. Two polymorphisms in the LOX gene, 473G/A (rs1800449) and rs2278226, were observed in the Chinese population. Frequencies of LOX 473AA genotype and A allele were significantly higher in ischemic stroke patients than in controls (odds ration (OR) = 1.76, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.16-2.67, P = 0.007; and OR = 1.33, 95 % CI 1.10-1.60, P = 0.003). Also, the prevalence of AC haplotype was significantly increased in ischemic stroke cases (OR = 1.32, 95 % CI 1.10-1.60, P = 0.004). Our data suggest that the G473A polymorphism of LOX gene could be a new risk factor for ischemic stroke.