• Cristina Alonso-Montes, María Martín, Laura Martínez-Arias, Eliecer Coto, Manuel Naves-Díaz, César Morís, Jorge B Cannata-Andía, and Isabel Rodríguez.
• Bone and Mineral Research Unit, REDinREN-ISCIII, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, Universidad de Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain.
• Eur. J. Clin. Invest. 2018 Dec 1; 48 (12): e13027.

BackgroundBicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is a heterogeneous and still not fully understood condition, with diverse genetic aetiology and associated phenotypes ranging from aortic stenosis or regurgitation to aneurysm and dissection. Several genes have been associated with the presence of BAV, notably some members of the GATA family of transcription factors that play important roles in cardiac embryogenesis.MethodsA case-control study with 122 unrelated and ethnically matched patients with bicuspid and 154 with tricuspid aortic valve was performed. All exons of GATA4, GATA5, and GATA6 genes were sequenced searching for variants. Frequencies were compared and functional effects of rare variants were analysed by informatic prediction tools.ResultsFour rare and potentially pathogenic variants were identified in only five sporadic cases: a missense p.Arg202Gln (rs782614097) in GATA5 and three synonymous variants, p.Cys274= (rs55980825) and p.His302= (rs201516339) in GATA4, and p.Asn458= (rs143026087) in GATA6. Minor alleles of p.His302=, p.Arg202Gln and rs3764962 are enriched in BAV patients compared to ExAC database (P = 0.01, 0.03, and 0.01 respectively). In addition, a common polymorphism in GATA5 (p.Asp203=, rs41305803) is associated with BAV showing a protective effect in carriers of the minor allele (OR [95%CI] = 0.45[0.25-0.81]; P = 0.004).ConclusionThis study associates additional genetic variants in GATA4 and GATA5 with BAV, supporting the implication of these genes in the development of this valvulopathy. The discovery of all the genetic factors involved will contribute to a better understanding of the process and, therefore, to detect a genetic predisposition and even to the identification of therapeutic targets.© 2018 Stichting European Society for Clinical Investigation Journal Foundation.

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