Aims: To determine the genetic variability of long QT syndrome (LQTS)-associated genes (KCNQ1, HERG, KCNE1 and KCNE2) among three distinct ethnic groups in the Singapore population.
Methods: Genomic DNA samples from up to 265 normal healthy Chinese, 118 Malay and 139 Indian volunteer subjects were screened for genetic variations in the coding region of the LQTS-associated genes using denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography and sequencing analyses.
Results: In total, 37 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified in the coding exons of the LQTS-associated potassium ion channel genes, seven of which were novel nonsynonymous polymorphisms. SNPs 356G-->A (exon 1 of KCNQ1), 2624C-->T and 2893G-->A (exon 11 of HERG), 3164G-->A, 3322C-->G and 3460G-->A (exon 14 of HERG), and 79C-->T (exon 3 of KCNE2) resulted in Gly119Asp, Thr875Met, Gly965Arg, Arg1055Gln, Leu1108Val, Gly1154Ser and Arg27Cys amino acid substitutions, respectively. In addition, 16 intronic variants were detected. The functional consequence of these variants has not been studied and their association with risk of LQTS is unclear.
Conclusions: There exist multiple genetic polymorphisms of the LQTS-associated genes in the three distinct Asian populations. Though the functional significance of many of these SNPs is unknown, this interindividual and interethnic genetic variability may underlie the different susceptibilities of individuals to developing LQTS.