Genetic risk factors for Mesoamerican nephropathy
Friedman DJ, Leone DA, Amador JJ, Kupferman J, Francey LJ, Lopez-Pilarte D, Lau J, Delgado I, Yih WK, Salinas A, Wang M, Genovese G, Shah S, Kelly J, Tattersfield CF, Raines NH, Amador M, Dias L, Pitsillides A, Ramirez-Rubio O, Amador AG, Cortopassi M, Applebaum KM, Alper SL, Banks AS, McClean MD, Leibler JH, Scammell MK, Dupuis J, Brooks DR.
Abstract
There is an extreme clustering of kidney disease in otherwise healthy young manual laborers in Central America known as Mesoamerican nephropathy (MeN). Environmental factors are the main suspect, particularly exposure to heavy labor in high heat. We found that this disease also has a strong genetic component. Native American ancestry is a strong risk factor for MeN. Genetic variants in a gene called OPCML may help protect against MeN, potentially by preventing dehydration and increasing tolerance to heat. Our data suggest that genetic factors are important for tolerance of heat stress and that populations have differential susceptibility to kidney injury based on these genetic factors. Keywords: kidney disease, genetics, Mesoamerican, OPCML
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