Contribution of TIMP3 polymorphisms to the development of preeclampsia in Han Chinese women

The aim of this study was to investigate whether polymorphisms in the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 3 gene (TIMP3) are associated with the risk of preeclampsia (PE) in Han Chinese women. Nine single TIMP3 tag-single nucleotide polymorphisms were selected by Haploview and genotyped using the Sequenom method in 181 preeclamptic and 203 healthy pregnant women from eastern China. The allele frequencies of the tag-single nucleotide polymorphisms were not significantly different between groups (P > 0.05). However, the genotype distribution of rs135025 was shown to differ between the multigravidity PE subgroup (> 3) and controls under additive (P = 0.018) and recessive models (P = 0.008), while the genotype distribution of rs80272 differed significantly between the severe PE subgroup and controls under additive (P = 0.014) and dominant models (P = 0.041). Moreover, the H2 haplotype (A-C-G-T-A-A-G-C-G) was found to be associated with the risk of PE (P = 0.035). Genotypes of rs135025 and rs80272 in TIMP3 may therefore influence susceptibility to PE, and pregnant women carrying the H2 haplotype might be more prone to developing PE.