Genetic studies of human apolipoproteins. XI. The effect of the apolipoprotein C-II polymorphism on lipoprotein levels in Nigerian blacks

The human apolipoprotein C-II locus exhibits genetically determined structural polymorphism in United States and African blacks. In the present study, we have investigated the effect of the apoC-II polymorphism on quantitative serum levels of total cholesterol, total high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, cholesterol in high density lipoprotein subfractions, low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and triglycerides (TG) in a sample of 368 unrelated Nigerian blacks. The frequencies of the APOC-II*1 and APOC-II*2 alleles in the samples were 0.947 and 0.053, respectively. In males, the effect of the APOC-II*2 allele was to lower the total serum cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels by 13.28 mg/dl and 10.55 mg/dl, respectively, relative to the common allele, APOC-II*1. In females, the effect was to lower total plasma cholesterol by 4.49 mg/dl and LDL-cholesterol by 3.21 mg/dl. The effect of apoC-II on quantitative lipoprotein levels is shown to be independent of variation at the linked apoE locus, but the products of the two loci interact in determining overall quantitative phenotypes.     

Genetic studies of human apolipoproteins. X. The effect of the apolipoprotein E polymorphism on quantitative levels of lipoproteins in Nigerian blacks.

Human apolipoprotein E exhibits genetic polymorphism in all populations examined to date. By isoelectric focusing and immunoblotting, three common alleles have been demonstrated in 365 unrelated Nigerian blacks. Furthermore, the APO E genetic polymorphism's effect on quantitative levels of lipids and lipoproteins has been determined. The respective frequencies of the APO E*2, APO E*3, and APO E*4 alleles are .027, .677, and .296. The effect of APO E polymorphism is significant only on total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. The average excesses of the APO E*2 allele are to lower total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol by 9.19 mg/dl and 11.11 mg/dl, respectively. The average excesses of the APO E*4 allele are to increase total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol by 5.64 mg/dl and 6.18 mg/dl, respectively. On the basis of the differences in (a) the distribution of APO E allele frequencies between the Nigerians and other populations and (b) dietary lipids, we propose a model that shows that lipid metabolism is influenced by the combined effects of the APO E polymorphism and environmental factors.     

Apolipoprotein J polymorphisms and serum HDL cholesterol levels in African blacks

Apolipoprotein J (apoJ, protein; APOJ, gene) is found in serum associated with high-density lipoprotein (HDL) subfractions, which also contain apolipoprotein A-I (apoA1) and cholesteryl ester transfer protein. ApoJ has been shown to be involved in a variety of physiological functions, including lipid transport. In earlier studies we reported the existence of a common genetic polymorphism (APOJ*1 and APOJ*2 alleles) using isoelectric focusing (IEF) and immunoblotting. In this study we determined the molecular basis of this polymorphism and together with another polymorphism at codon 328 (G-->A) evaluated its relationship with serum HDL cholesterol and apoA1 levels in 767 African blacks stratified by staff level: junior (less affluent, n = 450) and senior (more affluent, n = 317). The molecular analysis of the cathodally shifted APOJ*2 allele on IEF gels revealed an amino acid substitution of asparagine by histidine resulting from a missense mutation (A-->C) at codon 317 in exon 7. The frequency of the APOJ*2 (C) allele of codon 317 in the total sample was 0.267, whereas that of the less common allele A of codon 328 was 0.04. Despite their close proximity, no linkage disequilibrium was observed between the 2 polymorphisms. The impact of the codon 317 polymorphic variation was significant on serum HDL cholesterol (p = 0.003) and HDL3 cholesterol (p = 0.001) in junior staff. The adjusted mean values of these traits were higher in the codon 317 APOJ*2/*2 genotype than in the *1/*1 and *1/*2 genotypes. Overall, the APOJ codon 317 polymorphism explained 10.2% and 8.3% of the phenotypic variation in HDL cholesterol and HDL3 cholesterol, respectively, in junior staff. The codon 328 polymorphism showed a significant effect on HDL2 cholesterol (p = 0.039) and apoA1 (p = 0.007) only in junior women and accounted for 2.5% and 4.2% of the phenotypic variation in HDL2 cholesterol and apoA1, respectively. We also analyzed the combined effects of these genotypes at the 2 polymorphic sites. Significant effects on HDL cholesterol (p = 0.004) and HDL3 cholesterol (p = 0.008) in junior men and on HDL2 cholesterol (p = 0.003) in junior women were observed in the combined genotype data. The 2-locus genotypes explained 6.0% and 5.3% of the residual phenotypic variation of HDL cholesterol and HDL3 cholesterol in junior men and 10.4% of HDL2 cholesterol in junior women. These data indicate that the effect of the APOJ polymorphism on HDL cholesterol levels is modulated by socioeconomic status, as measured by staff level. Given the association of HDL and its subfractions with cardiovascular disease, these polymorphisms may lead to a better understanding of interracial differences in the risk of cardiovascular disease.     

Apolipoprotein A4-1/2 polymorphism and response of serum lipids to dietary cholesterol in humans

The response of serum lipids to dietary changes is to some extent an innate characteristic. One candidate genetic factor that may affect the response of serum lipids to a change in cholesterol intake is variation in the apolipoprotein A4 gene, known as the APOA4-1/2 or apoA-IVGln360His polymorphism. However, previous studies showed inconsistent results. We therefore fed 10 men and 23 women with the APOA4-1/1 genotype and 4 men and 13 women with the APOA4-1/2 or -2/2 genotype (carriers of the APOA4-2 allele) two diets high in saturated fat, one containing cholesterol at 12.4 mg/MJ, 136.4 mg/day, and one containing cholesterol at 86.2 mg/MJ, 948.2 mg/day. Each diet was supplied for 29 days in crossover design. The mean response of serum low density lipoprotein cholesterol was 0.44 mmol/l (17 mg/dl) in both subjects with the APOA4-1/1 genotype and in subjects with the APOA4-2 allele [95% confidence interval of difference in response, -0.20 to 0.19 mmol/l (-8 to 7 mg/dl)]. The mean response of high density lipoprotein cholesterol was also similar, 0.10 mmol/l (4 mg/dl), in the two APOA-4 genotype groups [95% confidence interval of difference in response, -0.07 to 0.08 mmol/l (-3 to 3 mg/dl)]. Thus, the APOA4-1/2 polymorphism did not affect the response of serum lipids to a change in the intake of cholesterol in this group of healthy Dutch subjects who consumed a background diet high in saturated fat. Knowledge of the APOA4-1/2 polymorphism is probably not a generally applicable tool for the identification of subjects who respond to a change in cholesterol intake.     

Simultaneous effects of the apolipoprotein E polymorphism on apolipoprotein E, apolipoprotein B, and cholesterol metabolism.

Human apolipoprotein (apo) E is polymorphic. We have investigated the effect of the apo-E polymorphism on quantitative plasma levels of apo E, apo B, and total cholesterol in a sample of 563 blood-bank donors from Marburg and Giessen, West Germany. The relative frequencies of the epsilon 2, epsilon 3, and epsilon 4 alleles are .063, .793, and .144, respectively. The average effects of the epsilon 2 allele are to raise apo-E levels by 0.95 mg/dl, lower apo B levels by 9.46 mg/dl, and lower total cholesterol levels by 14.2 mg/dl. The average effects of the epsilon 4 allele are to lower apo-E levels by 0.19 mg/dl, to raise apo-B levels by 4.92 mg/dl, and to raise total cholesterol levels by 7.09 mg/dl. The average effects of the epsilon 3 allele are near zero for all three phenotypes. The apo-E polymorphism accounts for 20% of the variability of plasma apo-E levels, 12% of the variability of plasma apo-B levels, and 4% of the variability of total plasma cholesterol levels. The inverse relationship between the genotype-specific average apo-E levels and both the genotype-specific average apo-B and cholesterol levels is offset by a positive relationship between apo-E levels and both apo-B and cholesterol levels within an apo-E genotype. The apo-E polymorphism also has a direct effect on the correlation between apo-E and total cholesterol levels. The implication of these results on multivariate genetic analyses of these phenotypes is discussed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Measurement of normative HDL subfraction cholesterol levels by Gaussian summation analysis of gradient gels

This report describes development of a computerized method for analyzing polyacrylamide gradient gels of high density lipoproteins (HDL) by Gaussian summation, a simple technique to obtain standardized measurements of size and amount of HDL subfractions. Conditions for reproducibility and ranges of linearity were established. By Gaussian summation analysis, five or six HDL subfractions could be found in the plasma of most normolipidemic people. The relationship of staining intensity to cholesterol level was determined for Coomassie Blue R-250, permitting determination of the cholesterol levels in the individual subfractions, with standard errors of repeated measurements of 2% or less of the total HDL area, and accuracy, limited by the standard error of the chromogenicity, of 1-2 mg/dl for the least abundant fractions and 3-4 mg/dl for the most abundant subfractions. Levels of HDL2b measured by this method were statistically the same as levels of HDL2 measured by dextran sulfate-Mg2+ precipitation. Gaussian summation analysis of gradient gels was used to measure HDL subfraction cholesterol levels in subjects from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study on Aging to obtain normative levels for men and women for the major HDL subfractions. Comparisons of these levels with each other and with triglyceride and cholesterol levels showed that triglyceride levels were inversely correlated with levels of HDL2a and HDL2b, cholesterol levels were directly correlated with levels of HDL3b and HDL3a, and that HDL3b levels were inversely correlated with levels of both HDL2a and HDL2b.     

Apolipoprotein E polymorphism in Omani dyslipidemic patients with and without coronary artery disease

Apolipoprotein E (APOE) polymorphism is a predictor of interindividual variability in plasma levels of lipids and lipoproteins and a predictor of risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). We studied the relationship between APOE polymorphism and lipid profiles and risk of CAD in Omani dyslipidemic patients. This retrospective study included 244 dyslipidemic patients, of whom 67 had CAD. Fasting blood glucose, lipids, and plasma lipoprotein levels were measured using standard methods, and APOE genotypes were detected by PCR-RFLP. The dyslipidemic patients had the following APOE allele frequencies: APOE*2, 0.030; APOE*3, 0.894; and APOE*4, 0.076. APOE allele frequencies between patients with and without CAD showed no significant differences. Compared to APOE*3/*3 homozygotes, APOE*4 allele patients had higher mean levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (p = 0.014), apoB (p = 0.031), lower mean levels of apoA1 (p = 0.043), and a trend of higher mean level of total cholesterol (p = 0.084). Thirty-one percent of patients with CAD had the APOE*4 allele compared to 26% with the APOE*3 allele, but this difference was not significant. Compared with APOE*3/*3 homozygotes, patients with the APOE*4 allele had 1.3 times higher risk for CAD after ignoring dyslipidemia, but this risk was modified after adjusting for dyslipidemia. In conclusion, among dyslipidemic patients, carriers of APOE*4 compared to homozygous carriers of APOE*3 had significantly higher levels of LDL cholesterol and apoB, but no relationship with CAD was found.     

Genetic analysis of a polymorphism in the human apoA-V gene: effect on plasma lipids

Recent discovery and characterization of APOAV suggests a role in metabolism of triglyceride (TG)-rich lipoproteins. Previously, variation at the APOAV locus was shown to modestly influence plasma TGs in normolipidemic samples. The aims of this study were to assess the effects of a polymorphism in APOAV (T-1131C) in terms of its frequency among three dyslipidemic populations and a control population, differences of allele frequency across available ethnic groups, and associations with specific lipoprotein TG and cholesterol compartments. We found a striking elevation in the frequency of the rare allele in a Chinese population (P = 0.0002) compared with Hispanic and European populations. The rare allele of the polymorphism was associated with elevated plasma TG (P = 0.012), VLDL cholesterol (P = 0.0007), and VLDL TG (P = 0.012), LDL TG (P = 0.003), and HDL TG (P = 0.016). Linear regression models predict that possession of the rare allele elevates plasma TG by 21 mg/dl (P = 0.009) and VLDL cholesterol by 8 mg/dl (P = 0.0001), and reduces HDL cholesterol by 2 mg/dl (P = 0.017). The association of the polymorphism with altered lipoprotein profiles was observed in combined hyperlipidemia, hypoalphalipoproteinemia, and hyperalphalipoproteinemia, and in controls. These findings indicate that APOAV is an important determinant of plasma TG and lipoprotein cholesterol, and is potentially a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.     

Apolipoprotein A-IV polymorphism and its effect on plasma lipid and apolipoprotein concentrations

Recently, we determined the apolipoprotein E (apoE) phenotype distribution in 2,000 randomly selected 35-year-old male individuals by slab gel isoelectric focusing of delipidated plasma samples, followed by immunoblotting using anti-apoE antiserum. These blots have been successfully re-used for immunovisualization of apoA-IV isoelectric focusing patterns. In a population sample of 1,393 individuals, four distinct apoA-IV isoforms were detected, encoded by the alleles A-IV*0, A-IV*1, A-IV*2, and A-IV*3 with gene frequencies of 0.002, 0.901, 0.079, and 0.018, respectively. The mean of plasma cholesterol, triglyceride, apoB and E levels did not differ significantly among the different apoA-IV phenotype groups. For these lipoprotein parameters, less than 0.1% of the total phenotypic variance could be accounted for by the APOA-IV gene locus. Our results did not show any effect of apoA-IV polymorphism on plasma apoA-I levels nor could we find any correlation between plasma levels of apoA-I and apoA-IV within the different apoA-IV phenotype groups. The plasma level of apoA-IV in subjects bearing the A-IV*3 allele is significantly lower than in subjects without the A-IV*3 allele (5 mg/dl versus 14 mg/dl). We therefore conclude that, in contrast to the apoE polymorphism, the polymorphism at the APOA-IV locus does not influence any of the levels of the lipoprotein parameters considered except apoA-IV.     

Polymorphisms of apolipoproteins A-IV and E in a Turkish population living in Germany

Human apolipoproteins (apo) E and apo A-IV are polymorphic with significantly different allele frequencies among different ethnic groups. Whereas the variation at the apo E gene locus affects plasma cholesterol levels in all populations studied so far and is associated with longevity in Caucasians, the influence of the common apo A-IV polymorphism on plasma lipoproteins has not been unanimously accepted. We have therefore determined the common apo E and apo A-IV polymorphisms by isoelectric focusing, calculated the respective allele frequencies and studied their effects on plasma lipoproteins in a random sample of 240 nonrelated Turkish subjects (141 males, 99 females) living in Germany and originating from central and eastern Anatolia. When compared with the German population and other Caucasians in Europe a prominence of the apo ɛ3 allele frequency (0.885) was accompanied by a decrease in the frequencies of both the apo ɛ2 allele (0.048) and the apo ɛ4 allele (0.067). Thus, the Turkish population studied here clustered with populations mainly from southern Europe and Japan, which have low ɛ2 and ɛ4 allele frequencies. Also, the frequency of the A-IV-1 allele was higher (0.967) and that of the A-IV-2 allele lower (0.033) in the Turkish subjects studied than in other populations. At an average level of total cholesterol of 194.5 ± 45 mg/dl, no significant influence of the A-IV alleles on plasma lipoproteins was seen. However, apo E and apo B differed significantly between apo E phenotypes, with high levels of apo E and low levels of cholesterol and apo B in carriers of the ɛ2 allele, and vice versa for the ɛ4 allele. The average cholesterol excess for the ɛ2 allele was –7.95 mg/dl, for the ɛ3 allele, –1.34, and for the ɛ4 allele, +14.15 mg/dl. Thus, despite the unusual frequency distribution of the apo E alleles, their effects on plasma lipoproteins are within the range reported for other populations in Europe. Received: 10 April 1995 / Revised: 25 March 1996     

Genetic studies of human apolipoproteins. XX. Genetic polymorphism of apolipoprotein J and its impact on quantitative lipid traits in normolipidemic subjects.

Apolipoprotein J (apo J) is a newly identified member of a growing family of proteins associated with various lipoprotein particles. Apo J is a glycoprotein which exists in the plasma associated with high-density lipoprotein subfractions which also contain apo A-I and cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP). We have investigated the possible existence of genetic polymorphism at the apo J structural locus and have evaluated its role in lipid metabolism. By employing isoelectric focusing and immunoblotting techniques, we have screened plasma or serum samples from six population groups: U.S. whites, Amerindians, Eskimos, New Guineans, U.S. blacks, and Nigerian blacks. Apo J revealed a common two-allele polymorphism only in populations with African ancestry and was found to be monomorphic in all other population groups tested. The genetic basis of the two alleles designated--APO J*1 and APO J*2, at a single structural locus, apo J-- was confirmed in a large number of segregating families. In the U.S. blacks, the frequencies of the APO J*1 and APO J*2 alleles were .76 and .24, respectively, and in the Nigerian blacks these values were .72 and .28, respectively. In addition, a single example of a rare allele designated APO J*3 was also encountered in the U.S. black sample. In Nigerian blacks, the apo J polymorphism's impact on seven quantitative lipid traits--total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, HDL3-cholesterol, HDL2-cholesterol, VLDL-cholesterol, and triglycerides--was investigated. No significant impact of the apo J polymorphism was observed for any of these lipid traits.     

Apolipoprotein A5-1131T>C polymorphism, but not APOE genotypes, increases susceptibility for dyslipidemia in children and adolescents

Apolipoprotein A5 (APOA5) and apolipoprotein E (APOE) play important roles in the metabolism of cholesterol and triglycerides. The aim of this study was to determine the allelic and genotypic distributions of the APOA5-1131T>C (rs 662799) and the APOE HhaI polymorphisms and to identify the association of both individual and combined APOA5-APOE genetic variants and the risk for dyslipidemia in children and adolescents. We genotyped 53 dyslipidemic and 77 normolipidemic individuals. The total cholesterol, triglycerides and HDL cholesterol were determined enzymatically. For APOA5 polymorphism, the presence of the allele C confers an individual risk for dyslipidemia (OR = 2.38, 95% CI = 1.15-4.89; P = 0.018). No significant differences were observed for lipid parameters among the APOA5 groups, except for a higher value of HDLc (P = 0.024) in C-carriers. The allelic and genotypic frequencies of APOE polymorphism were similar between groups and did not increase the susceptibility for dyslipidemia. None of the combined APOA5-APOE polymorphisms increased risk for dyslipidemia. We demonstrated an association between APOA5-1131T>C polymorphism and dyslipidemia in children and adolescents. This finding may be useful to guide new studies with genetic markers down a path toward a better characterization of the genetic risk factors for dyslipidemia and atherosclerotic diseases.     

Genetic effect of two APOA repeat polymorphisms (kringle 4 and pentanucleotide repeats) on plasma Lp(a) levels in American Samoans

Elevated plasma lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] level has been established as an independent risk factor for atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. Considerable ethnic group differences in the distribution of plasma Lp(a) levels have raised public health concerns. Recently, we have reported that Samoans have the lowest plasma Lp(a) levels of any population group. In the present investigation, we report the contribution of two apolipoprotein(a) (APOA) polymorphisms, the kringle 4 type 2 (K4) repeat and the pentanucleotide repeat (PNR), in affecting plasma Lp(a) levels in an American Samoan sample (n = 309). The K4 repeats ranged in size from 15 to 40. The common alleles contained repeats ranging from 26 to 36 with allele frequencies between 5.5% to 9.7%, and these accounted for 82% of all alleles. An inverse relationship between K4 repeat number and plasma Lp(a) level was observed for single-banded (r = -0.59, p = 0.0001) and double-banded phenotypes (r = -0.50, p = 0.0001). This polymorphism explained 60% of the variation in plasma Lp(a) level in American Samoans. For the PNR polymorphism, five different repeat alleles and eight different genotypes were identified; the most common allele was eight repeats. The *8 PNR allele was associated with a wide range of K4 repeats, the *9 PNR allele with larger K4 repeats (25-40), and the *10 PNR with smaller K4 repeats (15-24). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that the PNR polymorphism accounts for 2.1% of the variability in plasma Lp(a) levels in this sample, when the K4 repeat polymorphism was taken into account. Our data show that common polymorphisms in the APOA gene are major determinants of plasma Lp(a) variation in American Samoans.     

Association found between the promoter region polymorphism in the apolipoprotein A-V gene and the serum triglyceride level in Japanese schoolchildren

The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of single nucleotide polymorphism 3 (SNP3) of the apolipoprotein A-V ( APOA5) gene on the serum triglyceride (TG) level in Japanese schoolchildren. To determine the frequency of the genotype, we analyzed 552 schoolchildren. The frequencies of the T/T, T/C and C/C genotypes of the APOA5 gene were 225 (40.8%), 263 (47.6%) and 64 (11.6%), respectively. The serum TG level was significantly different among the genotypic groups after adjustments for age, gender and obesity index (T/T 71.6+/-34.8 mg/dl, T/C 80.7+/-36.1 mg/dl, C/C 94.4+/-69.4 mg/dl, P<0.0001). The odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for hypertriglyceridemia of the C allele was 2.4 (1.0-6.2). Our data suggested that the T/C promoter region polymorphism of the APOA5 gene appears to be a genetic risk factor for hypertriglyceridemia in Japanese children.     

The apolipoprotein E polymorphism: a comparison of allele frequencies and effects in nine populations.

Application of uniform methods for measuring the apolipoprotein (apo) E polymorphism and plasma cholesterol levels in nine populations (Tyrolean, Sudanese, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Hungarian, Icelandic, Finnish, and Malay) revealed significant heterogeneity among them in apo E type frequencies and mean cholesterol levels. The major apo E types in all populations were E3/2 (frequency range from 7.0% in Indians to 16.9% in Malays), E3/3 (frequency range from 39.8% in Sudanese to 72.1% in Japanese), and E3/4 (frequency range from 11.3% in Japanese to 35.9% in Sudanese). Mean cholesterol levels ranged from 144.2 mg/dl in the Sudanese to 228.5 mg/dl in the Icelandics. Two-way analysis of variance of the effect of population and apo E type on cholesterol levels showed no significantly interaction effect, indicating that the effects of apo E type on cholesterol levels do not differ significantly among the populations. The overall average excess for the epsilon 2 allele was -14.12 mg/dl (range -31.63 to -8.82 mg/dl); for the epsilon 3 allele, 0.04 mg/dl (range -1.87 to 1.58 mg/dl; and for the epsilon 4 allele, 8.14 mg/dl (range -1.71 to 13.31 mg/dl). Despite the apparent heterogeneity in these values, especially for the epsilon 4 allele, comparison of the average excesses by a method of repeated sampling with random permutations revealed no significant difference in effects among populations. These data indicate that a given apo E allele acts in a relatively uniform manner in different populations despite differences in genetic background and environmental factors.     

Frequency and effect of human apolipoprotein A-IV polymorphism on lipid and lipoprotein levels in an Icelandic population

Summary Human apolipoprotein A-IV (apo A-IV) exhibits a genetic polymorphism with two common alleles, A-IV¹ and A-IV², in Caucasian populations. We have investigated this polymorphism in the Icelandic population. The frequencies of the two alleles are significantly different from middel European populations with a higher frequency of the A-IV² allele (0.117 versus 0.077) occurring in Iceland. The alleles at the apo A-IV locus have significant effects on plasma high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and triglyceride levels. The average effect of the A-IV² allele is to raise HDL-C by 4.9 mg/dl and to lower triglyceride levels by 19.4mg/dl. We estimate that the genetic variability at the apo A-IV gene locus accounts for 3.1% of the total variability of HDL-C and for 2.8% of the total variability of triglycerides in the population from Iceland. This confirms and extends our previous observations on apo A-IV allele effects in Tyroleans in an independent population.     

BMI, waist circumference, and selected cardiovascular disease risk factors among preschool-age children

In adults, overweight is often associated with other cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. We determined whether these associations were also present in young children. This study examined the relationships between elevated BMI (≥85th and ≥95th percentiles for age and sex) and the highest quintile of waist circumference (WC) with CVD risk factors, including fasting triglyceride (TGL), high- and low-density lipoprotein (HDL and LDL), total cholesterol (TC), non-HDL cholesterol, and C-reactive protein (CRP) in 3,644 3- to 6-year-old children included in the 1999-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES). Results showed that 20% (highest quintile) of the sample had a TC >170 mg/dl, LDL >109 mg/dl, TGL >103 mg/dl, non-HDL >128 mg/dl, CRP >0.13 mg/dl, WC >57.2 cm, and HDL <42 mg/dl. Increased BMI and WC were associated with increased CRP levels in non-Hispanic black boys and girls, Hispanic boys, and non-Hispanic white girls, whereas elevated TGL and non-HDL cholesterol and low HDL cholesterol were generally associated with elevated BMI and WC in Hispanic children. TC and LDL cholesterol were not significantly associated with elevated weight in 3- to 6-year-olds. BMI and WC were similar in predicting the same risk factors. In summary, this analysis shows that in preschool-age children, greater BMI and WC are associated with biomarkers that are related to CVD risk, but these associations vary by ethnicity. Child health providers should consider using both BMI and WC to identify young children who may be at risk for elevated CVD biomarkers.     

In vivo characterization of human APOA5 haplotypes

Increased plasma triglyceride concentrations are an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Numerous studies support a reproducible genetic association between two minor haplotypes in the human apolipoprotein A5 gene (APOA5) and increased plasma triglyceride concentrations. We thus sought to investigate the effects of these minor haplotypes (APOA5*2 and APOA5*3) on ApoAV plasma levels through the precise insertion of single-copy APOA5 haplotypes at a targeted location (Hprt) in the mouse genome. While we found no difference in the amount of human plasma ApoAV in mice containing the common APOA5*1 or minor APOA5*2 haplotype, the introduction of the single APOA5*3-defining allele (19W) resulted in three fold lower ApoAV plasma levels, consistent with existing genetic association studies. These results indicate that the S19W polymorphism is likely to be functional and explain the strong association of this variant with plasma triglycerides, supporting the value of sensitive in vivo assays to define the functional nature of human haplotypes.     

Apolipoprotein E polymorphism is related to plasma lipids and apolipoproteins in Mexican adolescents

Previous studies in the Mexican population have failed to show an effect of apolipoprotein E (APOE) polymorphism on the lipid profile. The purpose of the present study was to determine the frequencies of APOE phenotypes, and their influence on lipid and apolipoprotein levels in a random sample of Mexican adolescents living in Mexico City. APOE polymorphism, fasting insulin levels, lipid levels, and apolipoprotein levels were determined in 420 adolescents. We found a high frequency of APOE*3 subjects (89.5%) and a low frequency of APOE*2 (3.0%) and APOE*4 (7.5%) subjects. The APOE*4 subjects (including APOE 4,3 and APOE 4,4) showed the highest concentrations of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and apoB and the lowest high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, whereas carriers of the APOE*2 allele (APOE 3,2 and APOE 2,2) had the lowest values for total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and the highest concentrations of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. No significant differences in triglyceride and insulin levels among subjects with different APOE polymorphisms were observed. Unlike previous studies in the Mexican population, our results show that lipid and lipoprotein levels are under the influence of APOE polymorphism. As in whites, APOE*4 may be a cardiovascular risk factor in the Mexican population.