Genetic Analysis of Human Chymotrypsin-Like Elastases 3A and 3B (CELA3A and CELA3B) to Assess the Role of Complex Formation between Proelastases and Procarboxypeptidases in Chronic Pancreatitis

Human chymotrypsin-like elastases 3A and 3B (CELA3A and CELA3B) are the products of gene duplication and share 92% identity in their primary structure. CELA3B forms stable complexes with procarboxypeptidases A1 and A2 whereas CELA3A binds poorly due to the evolutionary substitution of Ala241 with Gly in exon 7. Since position 241 is polymorphic both in (p.G241A) and (p.A241G), genetic analysis can directly assess whether individual variability in complex formation might alter risk for chronic pancreatitis. Here we sequenced exon 7 of and in a cohort of 225 subjects with chronic pancreatitis (120 alcoholic and 105 non-alcoholic) and 300 controls of Hungarian origin. Allele frequencies were 2.5% for p.G241A and 1.5% for p.A241G in controls, and no significant difference was observed in patients. Additionally, we identified six synonymous variants, two missense variants, a gene conversion event and ten variants in the flanking intronic regions. Variant c.643-7G>T in showed an association with alcoholic chronic pancreatitis with a small protective effect (OR = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.39-0.89, = 0.01). Functional analysis of missense variants revealed no major defects in secretion or activity. We conclude that variants affecting amino-acid position 241 in and are not associated with chronic pancreatitis, indicating that changes in complex formation between proelastases and procarboxypeptidases do not alter pancreatitis risk.