Source: Xinhua Net 2012-01-08
Author: Xiao Sisi

From Xinhua Net GZ Jan.8th The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University announced its significant discovery on Jan. 8th---new susceptible genes of IgA nephropathy were discovered in the research on Asian subjects.

Professor Yu Xueqing from the Department of Nephrology of the hospital, led the research group to complete screening whole-genome of IgA nephropathy based on Han ethnic group, uniting more than 20 hospitals and research institutes in China and cooperating with experts from Singapore.

Yu Xueqing introduced that IgA nephropathy was the most common primary glomerular disease in the world, accounting for 40%-50%of it in Asian-Pacific Region. The disease is characterized by the deposition of immunoglobulin in the glomerulus, mesangial cell proliferation and the deposition of extracellular matrix. According to present data, 15%-40% of the disease will develop into end-stage renal disease (uremia). Research has discovered that IgA nephropathy has an obvious tendency of familial aggregation; therefore it is listed in polygenic hereditary diseases. The onset of IgA nephrology is slow, so early diagnosis and treatment is significant in delaying the deterioration of renal function.

According to Yu Xueqing, this research was a correlation analysis on whole-genome of the largest scale in Asia, involving more than 10,000 subjects (4137 IgA patients and 7734 healthy people). It utilized advanced analytical methods and tactics in genetics to conduct research at the level of whole-genome.

"Researchers not only verified part of the research results of western scholars, but also and more importantly discovered for the first time two new susceptible gene loci of IgA nephropathy specially occurred among Chinese people---Chromosome 17 and Chromosome 8. This proves that genetic factors play an important role in the pathogenesis of IgA nephropathy and can affect the disease’s pathogenic process and clinical manifestation.” He said, “Because of the differences in the genes, IgA nephropathy differentiates greatly in clinical manifestations. The incidence of descendants and first-degree relatives of the families who have chronic kidney diseases is higher than that of the families who don’t.”