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Journal Article Epublish 7 citations

PubMed: 33790942 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.595702

Investigations of Kidney Dysfunction-Related Gene Variants in Sickle Cell Disease Patients in Cameroon (Sub-Saharan Africa).

Front Genet 12:595702

Authors: Valentina J Ngo-Bitoungui, Suzanne Belinga, Khuthala Mnika, Tshepiso Masekoameng, Victoria Nembaware, René G Essomba, Francoise Ngo-Sack, Gordon Awandare, Gaston K Mazandu, Ambroise Wonkam

Affiliations

  • West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens, University of Ghana, Legon-Accra, Ghana. Division of Human Genetics, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa. Department of Microbiology Haematology and Immunology, University of Dschang, YaoundĂ©, Cameroon.
  • Centre Pasteur of Cameroon, YaoundĂ©, Cameroon.
  • Division of Human Genetics, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
  • West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens, University of Ghana, Legon-Accra, Ghana.
  • National Public Health Laboratory, YaoundĂ©, Cameroon.
  • Department of Microbiology, Parasitology, Haematology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaounde 1, Yaounde, Cameroon.
  • Faculty of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Douala, Douala, Cameroon.
  • African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Muizenberg, Cape Town, South Africa.

Abstract

BACKGROUND

Renal dysfunctions are associated with increased morbidity and mortality in sickle cell disease (SCD). Early detection and subsequent management of SCD patients at risk for renal failure and dysfunctions are essential, however, predictors that can identify patients at risk of developing renal dysfunction are not fully understood.

METHODS

In this study, we have investigated the association of 31 known kidney dysfunctions-related variants detected in African Americans from multi-ethnic genome wide studies (GWAS) meta-analysis, to kidney-dysfunctions in a group of 413 Cameroonian patients with SCD. Systems level bioinformatics analyses were performed, employing protein-protein interaction networks to further interrogate the putative associations.

RESULTS

Up to 61% of these patients had micro-albuminuria, 2.4% proteinuria, 71% glomerular hyperfiltration, and 5.9% had renal failure. Six variants are significantly associated with the two quantifiable phenotypes of kidney dysfunction (eGFR and crude-albuminuria): ( = 0.02020), - ( = 0.04208), and ( = 0.04610) are associated with eGFR; and ( = 0.03730), ( = 0.02340), and ( = 0.03803) observed to be protective against micro-albuminuria. We identified a protein-protein interaction sub-network containing three of these gene variants: , and , connected to the Nuclear factor NF-kappa-B p105 subunit (NFKB1), revealed to be essential and might indirectly influence extreme phenotypes. Interestingly, clinical variables, including body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressure, vaso-occlusive crisis (VOC), and haemoglobin (Hb), explain better the kidney phenotypic variations in this SCD population.

CONCLUSION

This study highlights a strong contribution of haematological indices (Hb level), anthropometric variables (BMI, blood pressure), and clinical events (i.e., vaso-occlusive crisis) to kidney dysfunctions in SCD, rather than known genetic factors. Only 6/31 characterised gene-variants are associated with kidney dysfunction phenotypes in SCD samples from Cameroon. The data reveal and emphasise the urgent need to extend GWAS studies in populations of African ancestries living in Africa, and particularly for kidney dysfunctions in SCD.

MeSH

Cells, Genes, Blood, Anemia, Sickle Cell, Albuminuria, Blood Pressure, Phenotype, Kidney

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