Genetic variant of BNC2 gene is functionally associated with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis in Chinese population.

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is a structural curvature of the spine that was estimated to affect millions of children worldwide. Recent study shows that the functional variant rs10738445 could add to the risk of AIS through the regulation of BNC2 gene. This study aims to investigate whether the rs10738445 of BNC2 gene is a functional susceptible locus for AIS in the Chinese population and to further clarify the association of the BNC2 expression with the curve severity. SNP rs10738445 was genotyped in 1952 patients and 2492 controls, and further replicated in 693 patients and 254 controls. We found that patients have a significantly higher frequency of CC than the controls (21.9 vs. 17.7%, p = 0.004 for stage 1; 12.6 vs. 7.9%, p = 0.03 for stage 2). Allele C can significantly add to the risk of AIS with an OR of 1.14-1.24. AIS patients were found to have significantly higher BNC2 expression than the controls. The BNC2 expression was significantly correlated with the curve severity (r = 0.316, p = 0.02). In conclusion, our study suggests a functional role of BNC2 in the development and progression of the spinal deformity in AIS.