Genetic predisposition to ischaemic stroke by RAGE and HMGB1 gene variants in Chinese Han population

Emerging evidence suggests that the multiligand receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) and its ligand high mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1) contribute to the pathophysiology of ischaemic stroke (IS). The present study aimed to investigate the association of and variants with the risk of IS. A total of 1,034 patients and 1,015 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were genotyped to detect five genetic variants of the gene and four genetic variants of the gene using the Multiplex SNaPshot assay. We found that the rs2070600 variant of was associated with an increased risk of IS (OR = 1.19, 95% CI: 1.02-1.38, P = 0.043), whereas the rs2249825 variant of was associated with a decreased risk of IS (OR = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.71-0.98, P = 0.041). Further stratification by IS subtypes revealed that the presence of the TT genotype of the rs2070600 variant confers a higher risk of the large artery atherosclerosis subtype of IS (P = 0.036). Moreover, patients with the variant T allele of the rs2070600 variant presented with reduced serum soluble RAGE production. Patients carrying the variant G allele of the rs2249825 variant exhibited significantly lower infarct volumes than those with the major CC genotype. These clues may help in the development of optimal personalized therapeutic approaches for IS patients.