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Apolipoprotein E polymorphism in Italy investigated in native plasma by a simple polyacrylamide gel isoelectric focusing technique. Comparison with frequency data of other European populations
Author(s) -
CORBO R. M.,
SCACCHI R.,
MUREDDU L.,
MULAS G.,
ALFANO G.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
annals of human genetics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.537
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1469-1809
pISSN - 0003-4800
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-1809.1995.tb00741.x
Subject(s) - apolipoprotein e , allele frequency , allele , isoelectric focusing , biology , population , apolipoprotein b , cline (biology) , genetics , gene , medicine , endocrinology , biochemistry , cholesterol , demography , disease , sociology , enzyme
A new polyacrylamide gel isoelectric focusing (PAGIEF) technique has been developed that allows rapid and reliable identification of Apolipoprotein E (APOE) phenotypes directly from plasma or serum without any prior treatment. This method was used to determine the APOE phenotypes in samples from Central and Southern Italy, Sicily, and Sardinia. The frequencies observed for the APOE*2, APOE*3 , and AP0E*4 alleles in Central and Southern Italy (Sicily included) were similar (0·066, 0·851, 0·083 and 0·056, 0·858, 0·085 respectively) though lower APOE*4 frequencies were found in the more southern regions. The Sardinian population showed APOE gene frequencies (APOE*2 = 0·050, APOE*3 = 0·898, AP0E*4 = 0·052) to be significantly different from those of the rest of Italy owing to the low AP0E*4 frequency, the lowest among Caucasian populations. The frequencies were compared with those found in other European populations. A clear cut North‐South decreasing cline was found for APOE*4 allele frequencies and an opposite trend was found for AP0E*3 frequencies. The overall dispersion of European populations as determined by the three APOE allele frequencies was graphically represented using coordinate analysis. The tendency of the APOE*4 frequency to decline with latitude both at the Italian and at the European level was discussed with reference to similar trends observed for dietary habits (saturated fat intake).