A Common Copy Number Variation Polymorphism in the CNTNAP2 Gene: Sexual Dimorphism in Association with Healthy Aging and Disease

Background: New therapeutic targets are needed to fight aging-related diseases and increase life span. A new femalespecific association with diseases and limited survival past 80 years was recently reported for a copy number variation (CNV) in the CNTNAP4 gene from the neurexin superfamily. Objective: We asked whether there are CNVs that are associated with aging phenotypes within other genes from the neurexin superfamily and whether this association is sex specific. Methods: Select CNV polymorphisms were genotyped with proprietary TaqMan qPCR assays. Results: A case/control study, in which a group of 81-to 90-year-old community- dwelling Caucasians with no chronic diseases (case) was compared to a similar control group of 65-to 75-year-olds, revealed a negative association with healthy aging for the ins allele of common esv11910 CNV in the CNTNAP2 gene ( n = 388; OR = 0.29, 95% CI: 0.14-0.59, p = 0.0004 for males, and OR = 0.82, 95% CI: 0.42-1.57, p = 0.625 for females). This male-specific association was validated in a study of an independent group of 76-to 80-year-olds. To look for a corresponding positive association of the allele with aging-related diseases, two case subgroups of 81-to 90-year-olds, one composed of individuals with cognitive impairment and the other with various diseases not directly related to the nervous system, such as cardiovascular diseases, etc., were compared to a healthy control subgroup of the same age. A positive male-specific association was found for both cases (OR = 2.75, p = 0.008 for association with cognitive impairment, and OR = 3.18, p = 0.002 for other diseases combined). Conclusions: A new male-specific association with aging is reported for a CNV in the CNTNAP2 gene. The polymorphism might be useful for diagnosing individual genetic predispositions to healthy aging versus aging complicated by chronic diseases. (C) 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel