TGIF1 is a Potential Candidate Gene for High Myopia in Ethnic Kashmiri Population

AbstractPurpose: High myopia is a complex disorder that imposes serious consequences on ocular health. Linkage analysis has identified several genetic loci with a series of potential candidate genes that reveal an ambiguous pattern of association with high myopia due to population heterogeneity. We have accordingly chosen to examine the prospect of association of one such gene [transforming growth β-induced factor 1 (TGIF1)] in population that is purely ethnic (Kashmiri) and represents a homogeneous cohort from Northern India.Methods: Cases with high myopia with a spherical equivalent of ≥−6 diopters (D) and emmetropic controls with spherical equivalent within ±0.5 D in one or both eyes represented by a sample size of 212 ethnic Kashmiri subjects and 239 matched controls. Genomic DNA was genotyped for sequence variations in TGIF1 gene and allele frequencies tested for Hardy–Weinberg disequilibrium. Potential association was evaluated using χ2 or Fisher’s exact test.Results: Two previously reported missens...