Polymorphisms of Apolipoprotein E and Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase in the Japanese Population

Abstract

Aim:The aim of this study is to analyze the effect of apolipoprotein E (apo E) and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene polymorphisms on serum lipid and homocysteine levels in the general Japanese population. Methods: We analyzed the polymorphisms in individuals randomly selected from among participants of Serum Lipid Survey 2000. Results: The frequency of the 2, 3, and 4 alleles of APOE was 4.2, 85.3, and 10.5%, respectively. Individuals with the genotype 4/ 4 had the highest total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels, while those with 2/ 2 had the lowest. Individuals with the 2/ 2 and 2/ 4 genotypes had higher remnant-like particles (RLP)-cholesterol levels than those with 2 3, 3 3, and 3 4. There was a trend for individuals with the 2/ 4 and 2/ 2 genotypes to have higher triglyceride levels, although the difference was not significant. The presence of the T allele in a MTHFR polymorphism (C667T) was associated with higher homocysteine levels, which is more prominent in men than in women. Conclusion: Thus in our large-scale analysis we have shown that RLP-cholesterol is better associated with APOE genotype than triglyceride and the effect of the T allele on MTHFR polymorphism (C667T) homocysteine levels is more prominent in men than in women among Japanese.

The effect of APOE, CETP, and PCSK9 polymorphisms on simvastatin response in Thai hypercholesterolemic patients

“…The allele frequencies of the APOE polymorphisms (E2 7.11%, E3 79.56%, E4 13.33%) in this study were similar to previous reports among the Thai population (E2 7.18%‐10.42%, E3 77.04%‐77.51%, E4 12.54%‐15.43%) . APOE4 allele in our study was higher than Japanese (10.5%), Han Chinese (7.5%), Taiwanese (7.5%), and Korean (9%) populations but lower than the Malaysian population (20.20%) . These inconsistent results may be due to the specific populations.…”

The correlation between TG vs remnant lipoproteins in the fasting and postprandial plasma of 23 volunteers

“…Therefore, this study did not support the need for testing of remnants if measures of fasting triglycerides are available. This study reported that, unlike the studies above (4,20–22), the fasting TG in Honolulu Heart Study group was shown to be an independent predictor of CHD incidence as well as RLP-C. Therefore, Imke el al.…”

“…The Framingham Offspring Study and other studies have reported the differences in clinical significance between TG and remnant lipoproteins in the fasting state (4,20–22). Namely, fasting remnant lipoproteins are shown to be significantly more predictive of cardiovascular events than fasting TG concentrations.…”

Association between Genetic Polymorphisms and Sites of Cervicocerebral Artery Atherosclerosis

“…The APOE genotypes and alleles in our study population were similar to those reported in previous studies from Japan and Taiwan. 25,26 Although the e3/e3 genotype and e3 allele are common in both Asian and Caucasian populations, a significant difference in the proportion of e4 alleles has been noted. 17,[25][26][27][28] The e4 allele was found in only 5.7% of our control subjects and has been reported in 5%-10% in other Asian populations, compared with a prevalence of 15%-18% in Caucasians (Table 5).…”

“…25,26 Although the e3/e3 genotype and e3 allele are common in both Asian and Caucasian populations, a significant difference in the proportion of e4 alleles has been noted. 17,[25][26][27][28] The e4 allele was found in only 5.7% of our control subjects and has been reported in 5%-10% in other Asian populations, compared with a prevalence of 15%-18% in Caucasians (Table 5). 17,[25][26][27][28] Because the APOE e4 allele is strongly associated with extracranial carotid disease, the lower frequency of the e4 allele in Asians may help explain the low prevalence of this disease in this population.…”