Abstract
Stress peptide, pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP), has been implicated in sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). The aim of this exploratory study was to determine whether variants in the gene encoding the PACAP-specific receptor, PAC1, are associated with SIDS in Caucasian and African American infants. Polymerase chain reaction and Sanger DNA sequencing was used to compare variants in the 5'-untranslated region, exons and intron-exon boundaries of the PAC1 gene in 96 SIDS cases and 96 race- and gender-matched controls. The intron 3 variant, A/G: rs758995 (variant 'h'), and the intron 6 variant, C/T: rs10081254 (variant 'n'), were significantly associated with SIDS in Caucasians and African Americans, respectively (p < 0.05). also associated with sids were interactions between the variants rs2302475 (variant 'i') in pac1 and rs8192597 and rs2856966 in pacap among caucasians (p >< 0.02) and rs2267734 (variant 'q') in pac1 and rs1893154 in pacap among african americans (p >< 0.01). however, none of these differences survived post hoc analysis. overall, this study does not support a strong association between variants in the pac1 gene and sids; however, a number of potential associations between race-specific variants and sids were identified that warrant targeted investigations in future studies.>
