Mild association between the A/G polymorphism in the promoter of the apolipoprotein A-I gene and apolipoprotein A-I levels: A meta-analysis

✍ Scribed by Juo, Suh-Hang Hank; Wyszynski, Diego F.; Beaty, Terri H.; Huang, Han-Yao; Bailey-Wilson, Joan E.

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1999
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 75 KB
• Volume: 82
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0148-7299
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1096-8628(19990129)82:3<235::aid-ajmg8>3.0.co;2-h

✦ Synopsis

A polymorphism caused by a G-to-A substitution in the promoter area (-75 bp) of the apolipoprotein AI (apo A-I) bene is common in the general population. Several studies have investigated its association with apo A-I levels, but the results were conflicting. Here, we undertook meta-analyses to increase the statistical power to further detect this association. Meta-analyses were first performed for each gender and then on the combined data. The overall sample in this meta-analysis included over 3,000 healthy individuals. Results from healthy individuals suggest that the rare allele A is associated with mildly increased apo A-I levels by about 5 mg/dl (95% CI 2.84 ∼ 6.94). This association is weaker among healthy females than males. The present study cannot determine whether this small but significant association was due to a small genetic effect of the A/G polymorphism, or whether the A/G polymorphism is in linkage disequilibrium with a true mutant allele at a quantitative trait locus controlling apo A-I levels. Although smoking status may interact with genotypes, only three studies investigated this interaction and thus no conclusion could be drawn in this regard. Am. J.