Identifying single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and detecting c-reactive protein (CRP) levels associated with posterior circulation ischemia and cerebral infarction

Abstract Background: Posterior circulation ischemia (PCI) and cerebral infarction (CI) are major cerebrovascular diseases. Screening potential genetic variations such as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes involved in the immune system pathway is a reliable assessment of potential risk factors for PCI and CI. Moreover, C-reactive protein (CRP) is recognized as a sensitive biomarker for systemic inflammation and secondary lesions related to cerebrovascular diseases, which has a significant clinical significance.Methods: We collected whole blood and plasma samples from 39 healthy controls, 23 PCI and 18 CI subjects. Allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (AS-PCR) was used to detect mutations in SNPs. The plasma CRP levels were measured using the newly developed single molecule array (Simoa) method. Results: We detected mutations in three SNPs such as rs3093077, rs3917368 and rs4129267, which are associated with an increased risk of PCI and CI. We also captured a significant increase in Simoa-measured CRP levels in plasma of patients with PCI and CI, compared to healthy controls.Conclusions: These three identified SNPs can be used as a prediction and evaluation of risk for PCI and CI. Our results demonstrate the high sensitivity of Simoa in detecting plasma CRP levels. Our study highlights that AS-PCR and Simoa technology can be used as sensitive clinical diagnostic methods for PCI and CI.