Role of luteinizing hormone β-subunit gene variants among South Indian women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Abnormal luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion and action are known to affect ovarian steroidogenesis and thus playing a crucial role in manifestation of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This study is first of its kind to study association of LH β-subunit gene variants with PCOS among South-Indian women. 250 PCOS cases and 299 controls were recruited for the study. All the exons of LH β gene were screened. Allele and genotype frequencies of the SNPs were compared between the cases and controls. We identified seven SNPs in the LH β gene; one SNP in exon 3 (rs#1056917) exhibited significant difference in the allele frequency between the PCOS cases and controls (p=0.015). Although, the LH β variants that are found to be more frequent among PCOS cases are silent in nature and not of any functional significance, they might influence other significant functional polymorphisms in the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis which needs to be explored. ► Pioneer association study of LH β gene variants with PCOS among Indian women. ► 250 PCOS cases and 299 controls screened for all the exons of LH β gene. ► LHβ polymorphic pattern is heterogenous between PCOS cases and controls. ► These genetic variants may contribute to PCOS susceptibility among Indian women. ► Further validation in other ethnicities of Indian population required.