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

Authors: Hallman DM; Boerwinkle E; Saha N; Sandholzer C; Menzel HJ; Csázár A; Utermann G

Abstract: 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.

Keywords: Alleles; Apolipoproteins E/blood/*genetics/isolation & purification; *Ethnic Groups; *Gene Frequency; Humans; Isoelectric Focusing; Phenotype; *Polymorphism, Genetic
Journal: American journal of human genetics
Volume: 49
Issue: 2
Pages: 338-49
Date: Aug. 1, 1991
PMID: 1867194
Select reference article to upload


Citation:

Hallman DM, Boerwinkle E, Saha N, Sandholzer C, Menzel HJ, Csázár A, Utermann G (1991) The apolipoprotein E polymorphism: a comparison of allele frequencies and effects in nine populations. American journal of human genetics 49: 338-49.


Lifespan Factors:
  • APOE apolipoprotein E


  • Update (Admin) | Auto-Update

    Comment on This Data Unit