Genetic markers for idiopathic scoliosis on chromosome 19p 13.3 among Saudi Arabian girls: A pilot study

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Genetic locus linked to chromosome 19p for Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) has been described. This study was carried out with the aim to find any significant linkage or association between three microsatellite markers (D19S216, D19S894, and DS1034) of chromosome 19p13.3 in Saudi Arabian girls with AIS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In eleven unrelated Saudi Arabian girls who were treated for AIS with Cobb angle of ≥30 degrees and in 10 unrelated healthy individuals, linkage analysis was performed using parametric and nonparametric methods by use of GENEHUNTER version 2.1. Multipoint linkage analysis was used in specifying an autosomal dominant trait with a gene frequency of 0.01 and an estimated penetrance of 80% at the genotype and the allele level. Fisher's exact test was used in the analysis of contingency tables for the D19S216, D19S894, and DS1034 markers. RESULTS: The analysis between the patient group and healthy girls showed that at genotypic level there was no significant association of the markers and scoliosis D19S216 (P = 0.21), D19S894 (P = 0.37), and DS1034 (P = 0.25). Whereas, at the allele level, there was statistically significant association between the marker DS1034 (P = 0.008) and no significant association with the other two markers D19S216 (P = 0.25) and D19S894 (P = 0.17). CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that at genotypic level none of the markers reported earlier were associated with scoliosis but at allele level, marker DS1034 was significantly associated with patients with AIS. This allele marker on chromosome 19p appears important in the etiology of AIS.