Revealing the Association of LIG1 Genetic Variants With Pterygium Susceptibility and Demographic Characteristics in a Taiwanese Population.

Background/aimPterygium is a common ocular surface disorder associated with long-term ultraviolet exposure and/or oxidative DNA damage. Accumulated evidence suggests that defects in DNA repair pathways may contribute to pterygium risk. DNA ligase I (LIG1), a key enzyme involved in DNA replication and base excision repair, has been involved in the etiology of several human diseases, including cancers. However, its role in pterygium has never been examined before. This study aimed at exploring the association between the LIG1 genotypes and pterygium risk in a Taiwanese population.Patients and methodsThe hospital-based case-control study was conducted including 165 patients with pterygium and 320 age- and sex-matched non-pterygium controls. LIG1 rs20579 genotypes were accessed utilizing polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) methodology. Stratified analysis and the calculation of odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used for evaluating the associations between genotypes and pterygium risk.ResultsIndividuals carrying the homozygous variant AA genotype exhibited a significantly elevated risk of pterygium compared with those carrying the GG genotype (OR=2.74, 95% CI=1.17-6.43, p=0.0305). Under the recessive model, the AA genotype conferred a 2.65-fold elevated risk (95% CI=1.14-6.18, p=0.0350). The variant A allele was also associated with increased susceptibility (OR=1.46, 95% CI=1.03-2.07, p=0.0413). Stratified analyses revealed significant associations specifically among individuals aged ≥60 years (OR=5.64, 95% CI=1.67-19.04, p=0.0039) and males (OR=5.23, 95% CI=1.74-15.73, p=0.0034), but not those of younger ages or females.ConclusionThe LIG1 rs20579 genotype is significantly associated with pterygium susceptibility in Taiwanese individuals, particularly among elderly and male subjects. These findings support the involvement of impaired DNA repair machinery in pterygium pathogenesis and suggest that LIG1 rs20579 may serve as a novel genetic biomarker for risk assessment and early detection of pterygium.