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Apolipoprotein E polymorphism and plasma lipid, lipoprotein, and apolipoprotein levels in Italian children
Author(s) -
Xu ChunFang,
Talmud Philippa J.,
Angelico Francesco,
Ben Maria Del,
Savill John,
Humphries Steve E.,
Vogler G. P.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
genetic epidemiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.301
H-Index - 98
eISSN - 1098-2272
pISSN - 0741-0395
DOI - 10.1002/gepi.1370080605
Subject(s) - apolipoprotein b , plasma lipoprotein , apolipoprotein c2 , lipoprotein , medicine , polymorphism (computer science) , apolipoprotein e , endocrinology , genetics , biology , cholesterol , very low density lipoprotein , genotype , gene , disease
We have investigated the effect of apolipoprotein (apo) E polymorphism on serum lipid, lipoprotein, and apolipoprotein levels in a sample of 195 children, aged 8–11 years, from Sezze, Central Italy. The relative frequencies of e2, e3, and e4 alleles were 0.062, 0.867, and 0.072, respectively. Variation at the apo E gene locus explained 5.1% of the sample variance in serum total cholesterol levels, 7.6% in low‐density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels, 7.3% in apo B levels, and 14.1% in high‐density lipoprotein‐apo E (HDL‐E) levels. The effect of the e2 allele was to lower levels of total cholesterol, LDL‐cholesterol, and apo B and to raise levels of HDL‐E, while the effect of the e4 allele was the opposite. Variation at the apo E gene locus was not associated with differences in serum triglyceride, HDL‐cholesterol, or apo AI levels. The effects of common apo E polymorphisms and genetic variation associated with the Pvu II RFLP of the apo B gene on serum apo B levels were additive, explaining 11.3% of the phenotypic variance in this sample. When the effect of apo E polymorphism on serum lipid traits was estimated in boys and girls separately, variation at the apo E gene locus explained 10.4, 13.3, 13.3, and 13.5% of the phenotypic variance in serum total cholesterol, LDL‐cholesterol, apo B, and HDL‐E levels, respectively, in boys, while in girls only the effect on HDL‐E levels (19.3%) reached statistical significance. This study has demonstrated that genetic variations at the apo E locus contribute to the determination of serum lipid, lipoprotein, and apolipoprotein levels in youths and that the effects are gender specific.