Phosphodiesterase 4D (PDE4D) gene variants and risk of ischemic stroke in the Taiwanese population

Objectives: It has been suggested that genetic variants in the phosphodiesterase 4D (PDE4D) gene confer risk of ischemic stroke. However, the cerebral infarction/cerebral hemorrhage ratio is lower in Asian populations compared with those in Caucasian and black populations. Thus, the association between variations in the PDE4D gene and ischemic stroke in Taiwan needs to be replicated. In the present study, we evaluated whether the PDE4D gene polymorphism confers a risk of ischemic stoke in Taiwanese patients. Methods: Two single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) covering the PDE4D gene were genotyped using genomic DNA sequencing and a high-throughput TaqMan PCR assay in 100 patients who had suffered an ischemic stroke and 270 healthy individuals. Results: No significant associations with ischemic stroke were observed with the SNP87 (rs2910829) or SNP41 (rs152312) SNPs from PDE4D, which were a part of the Icelandic at-risk haplotypes. Conclusions: The present data does not support a significant role for PDE4D polymorphisms in genetic susceptibility to ischemic stroke in the Taiwanese population.