Common Variations in BMP4 Confer Genetic Susceptibility to Sporadic Congenital Heart Disease in a Han Chinese Population

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common birth defect in humans. The genetic causes of sporadic CHD remain largely unknown. Bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4), a member of the transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) family, is required for normal heart development. Loss of BMP4 gene expression in mice is associated with septal defects, defective endocardial cushion remodeling, and abnormal semilunar valve formation. This study evaluated the contribution of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in BMP4 to CHD susceptibility in a case–control study of 575 patients with CHD and 844 non-CHD control subjects in a Chinese population. The BMP4 SNP rs762642 was associated with CHD in an additive model (odds ratio [OR]_add 1.22; 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.04–1.43; P _add = 0.02). Stratified analysis by CHD subtypes showed a significant association only between rs762642 and atrial septal defect (OR_add 1.33; 95 % CI 1.04–1.72; P _add = 0.03) in the additive model. This study was the first to indicate that a common variant of BMP4 may contribute to susceptibility to sporadic CHD in a Chinese population.