Genetic Association of Glutathione S-Transferase Omega 2 (GSTO2) Gene Variant (rs156697) with Chronic Kidney Disease Patients of Pakistani Origin

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) poses a significant global health challenge. The kidneys can be compromised by internal diseases, environmental influences and various genetic factors. Among the genetic factors, particularly, GSTO2 gene plays a crucial role in cellular processes and enzyme performance, which can lead to interstitial kidney damage and contribute to CKD. The current study investigates the genetic association between the GSTO2 gene variation (rs156697) and CKD in the Punjabi community. This study examined the association between the GSTO2 gene locus (c.424A>T) and CKD in a Punjabi population using ARMS-PCR genotyping. A total of 50 samples were analyzed, revealing 19 homozygous wild-type, 25 heterozygous and 6 homozygous mutants. PLINK data analysis toolset indicated an insignificant genotypic association with CKD phenotype with observed p-value of 0.7177 and an odds ratio of 0.85. Similarly, the alternative allele frequency of 0.34 and 0.375 was also observed in CKD and normal controls respectively. In the future, further studies with more genetic markers along with functional studies with large sample data may be performed for robust statistical evidence of the association of subject gene with CKD patients in Pakistan.