Association between PLA2R gene polymorphism and idiopathic membranous nephropathy in Heilongjiang Chinese

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between the phospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R) gene polymorphism and idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN) in Heilongjiang Chinese. METHODS: Thirty-five patients with IMN confirmed by renal biopsy attending the Heilongjiang Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine between June 2021 and December of 2021 were selected as the IMN group, and a group of 25 healthy participants from the Physical Examination Center of Heilongjiang Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine were enrolled as healthy controls. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to identify and genotype 8 single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci (rs16844715, rs2715918, rs2715928, rs35771982, rs3749119, rs3828323, rs4665143, and rs6757188) of PLA2R and to analyze the PLA2R gene polymorphisms that correlated with IMN. SPSS 26.0 statistical software was used for data analysis, and the chi-squared (χ(2)) goodness-of-fit test was used to determine whether each SNP genotype and allele in the PLA2R gene complied with the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The qualitative data were analyzed via χ(2) or Fisher exact probability method. Logistic regression was used to analyze risk factors, and the odds ratios (ORs) values and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. α=0.05 was taken as the test level, and P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences were found in the genotype and allele frequencies of rs35771982 and rs3749119 between the IMN and control groups (P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that the genotypes rs35771982 GG and rs3749119 CC were associated with IMN susceptibility. Statistically significant differences in uric acid level were found between the rs35771982 GG and CG + CC genotypes (P<0.05), while statistically significant differences in serum albumin were detected between rs3749119 CC and the CT + TT genotypes (P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that gender, age, and triglyceride levels affected the occurrence of IMN (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The PLA2R gene polymorphisms rs35771982 and rs3749119 in Heilongjiang Chinese may be related to IMN susceptibility and correlated with clinical indicators of IMN. Gender, age, and triglyceride levels may influence the occurrence of IMN.