A DNA fragment that does not encode any protein increases the risk of coronary heart disease, according to scientists from the US in the journal Nature.
Point mutations (single nucleotide changes) in non-coding DNA located on the short arm of chromosome 9 have previously been linked to an increased risk of coronary heart disease – a leading cause of death worldwide.
Len Pennacchio and colleagues from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley removed this DNA fragment from the mouse genome and showed that the area of the chromosome under study regulates the activity of the neighboring Cdkn2a and Cdkn2b genes in the heart and controls the ability of blood vessel cells to divide and grow.
Changes in the studied non-coding area of DNA lead to disturbances in the expression of the Cdkn2a and Cdkn2b genes, changes at the cellular level and, as a result, the development of coronary heart disease. (PAP)