*Article* **Association between** *MANBA* **Gene Variants and Chronic Kidney Disease in a Korean Population**

**Hye-Rim Kim 1,†, Hyun-Seok Jin 2,† and Yong-Bin Eom 1,3,\***


**Abstract:** Chronic kidney disease (CKD), a damaged condition of the kidneys, is a global public health problem that can be caused by diabetes, hypertension, and other disorders. Recently, the *MANBA* gene was identified in CKD by integrating CKD-related variants and kidney expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) data. This study evaluated the effects of *MANBA* gene variants on CKD and kidney function-related traits using a Korean cohort. We also analyzed the association of *MANBA* gene variants with kidney-related traits such as the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, and uric acid levels using linear regression analysis. As a result, 14 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were replicated in CKD (*p* < 0.05), consistent with previous studies. Among them, rs4496586, which was the most significant for CKD and kidney function-related traits, was associated with a decreased CKD risk in participants with the homozygous minor allele (CC), increased eGFR, and decreased creatinine and uric acid concentrations. Furthermore, the association analysis between the rs4496586 genotype and *MANBA* gene expression in human tubules and glomeruli showed high *MANBA* gene expression in the minor allele carriers. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that *MANBA* gene variants were associated with CKD and kidney function-related traits in a Korean cohort.

**Keywords:** *MANBA*; variants; chronic kidney disease; estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR); expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL)
