Objective: To find out whether phospholamban (PLN) is the virulence gene of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in the Chinese of Chengdu.
Methods: DNA was isolated from 89 hospitalized unrelated patients with DCM and 110 healthy Chinese Hans as controls. The PLN mutations was screened by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-single strand conformation polymorphisms (SSCP) and nucleotide sequence analysis.
Results: In polyacrylamide gel lectrophoresis, no abnormal conformer was found in the two groups. In DNA sequence, no C --> T missense mutation at nucleotide 25 was identified in the DCM patients and the controls. Meanwhile, T --> G missense mutation at nucleotide 116 was not found in the affected individuals and in the controls.
Conclusion: No PLN gene mutation was found in patients with DCM in Chengdu. This result indicated that PLN gene mutation may not be a common cause for DCM in the Chinese population in Chengdu.