Genetic predictors of oxidative stress in the indigenous ethnous of the Arctic

BACKGROUND: Fundamental scientific research and practical medicine indicate that certain genes are potentially involved in the pathogenesis of oxidative stress.

AIM: to determine the prevalence of polymorphic genes that cause oxidative stress in the Nenets ethnic group of the Vaigach Island of the Nenets Autonomous Okrug and compare it with that of other ethnic groups.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A molecular genetic study of the genes involved in oxidative stress in 44 representatives of the Nenets ethnic group permanently residing on the Vaygach Island was carried out. Data were analyzed using the STATA 2016 program and Microsoft Excel 2010. The assessment of the deviation of genotypic distributions from the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium was carried out using the Pearson χ² test. Calculations were performed using the online program Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium calculator (HWEC).

RESULTS: The prevalence of the main polymorphic variants of the oxidative system genes in the studied ethnic group was similar to that in European populations, with the exception of the SOD2 (rs4880), CYP1A1 (rs1048943), CAT (rs1001179) with prevalences of 97,73%, 20,45%, 13,64%, respectively. The oxidative system genes: the SOD2 (rs4880 and rs1141718), and CAT (rs1001179) were specific to the indigenous ethnic group of Vaygach Island.

CONCLUSION: The study of the nature of genetic diversity in specific geographical, ethnic groups will allow us to reconstruct the genetic history of populations, and identify traces of natural selection associated with adaptive variability.