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* Department of Physiological Nursing, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143
Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143
Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143
Published, JLR Papers in Press, April 1, 2003. DOI 10.1194/jlr.M200480-JLR200
1 To whom correspondence should be addressed. e-mail: bradley.aouizerat{at}nursing.ucsf.edu
| ABSTRACT |
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These findings indicate that APOAV is an important determinant of plasma TG and lipoprotein cholesterol, and is potentially a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
Supplementary key words lipoprotein dyslipidemia ethnicity
| INTRODUCTION |
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Study of premature coronary artery disease has revealed that apolipoproteins are important discriminating factors for distinguishing individuals with coronary artery disease (68). The apolipoprotein gene cluster (APOAI-CIII-AIV) on human chromosome 11q23 is known to harbor at least three genes that affect the metabolism of plasma lipoproteins (9). The relationship between variations in the gene cluster and plasma lipids has been studied for nearly two decades (912). The majority of studies have focused on either apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I), because of its influence on HDL production, or on apoC-III for its modulation of plasma triglyceride (TG). Recently, study of apoA-IV, an apolipoprotein associated with chylomicron and HDL particles (13), has provided evidence for its role in postprandial lipemia (14) and coronary artery disease (15). While variations in the APOAI-CIII-AIV gene cluster have been reported to influence several dyslipidemic states (1620), the recent characterization of the proximal apoA-V provides evidence for a significant role in the modulation of levels of lipids and lipoproteins (21).
The apoA-V gene (APOAV) was recently discovered by comparative sequencing of the APOAI-CIII-AIV gene region (21). Pennacchio and colleagues, by construction of both knockout and human transgenic murine models for apoA-V, established its role in modulating plasma TG, a major risk factor for coronary artery disease (21). Employing four single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) revealed during sequence analysis, significant associations were found between both plasma TG and VLDL mass in two independent human genetic-association studies (21). The minor allele of each of three SNPs, in linkage disequilibrium, was associated with 2030% higher plasma TG than among individuals homozygous for the major allele. There was no association with a genetic marker in the adjacent apoC-III gene, which is known to also modulate plasma TG (21). Taken together, these data indicate that APOAV polymorphisms may serve as important prognostic indicators for susceptibility to hypertriglyceridemia.
A recent report of increased plasma TG, associated with an upstream APOAV promoter polymorphism in two independent Caucasian populations, suggests that APOAV may contribute to certain dyslipidemic states (21). Moreover, variations in APOAV may have varying impacts in different ethnic groups. Therefore, we elected to assess the frequency of the same polymorphism in APOAV in three dyslipidemic groups and a control population. We also tested for variations in allele frequency in three ethnic groups. The impact of this variation on lipoprotein composition and body mass index (BMI) was examined. A significant difference in minor allele frequency was detected in Chinese in comparison with Hispanic and European populations. Whereas we detected no preferential association with any of the three dyslipidemic phenotypes, the minor APOAV allele was associated with elevated plasma TG, VLDL TG, LDL TG, and HDL TG, strikingly elevated VLDL cholesterol, and marginally depressed HDL cholesterol. In addition, linear regression analysis of lipid parameters yielded regression models permitting estimates of adjusted means for plasma TG, VLDL cholesterol, and HDL cholesterol, conditioned on minor allele carrier status.
| METHODS |
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Detection of significant linkage disequilibrium between the three intragenic SNPs (rs2266788, rs2072560, and rs662799) (21) led us to adopt a parsimonious genotyping approach using the most informative SNP (rs662799) (24). Patients were selected according to phenotypic profiles consistent with combined hyperlipidemia, hypoalphalipoproteinemia, or hyperalphalipoproteinemia, post hoc, for genotyping at the APOAV locus. Unselected controls provided an environmental-, age-, and gender-matched baseline population for genotype and genotype-phenotype analyses. Baseline lipoprotein measurements were obtained when patients had received no lipid-lowering medication for at least 1 month.
The sample
Clinical and demographic data were available on all subjects (n = 825). Several exclusion criteria were applied prior to analyses of lipid values. One hundred and fifty-two subjects were excluded because they had diabetes or hypothyroidism. Among the remaining subjects, 14 individuals were excluded because they were taking medications or had secondary conditions that could affect lipid values at the time of baseline lipid measurement. Finally, 32 subjects who did not pass a consistency check on cholesterol fractions (an absolute difference less than 15 mg/dl for TC vs. the sum of all measured cholesterol fractions: HDL, LDL, and VLDL) were excluded, leaving a total of 627 subjects in the study population.
Regression models for the lipid measures included a data-driven selection among indicators for the APOAV polymorphism. The polymorphism was examined in the context of possible effects of the following predictors: age, gender, lipoprotein profiles of clinical populations versus control, angiographic findings, hypertension, smoking, alcohol use, exercise, prior myocardial infarction, premenopausal status (nonmenopausal females aged greater than 12.5 years were also included in this class), and menopause. BMI was calculated as weight (kg)/height (m)2. Quantitative self-report of smoking status and frequency was collapsed into a qualitative assignment of smoking status (25). Positive exercise status was qualitatively assigned for individuals expending a minimum of 7.5 kcals/min for 30 min twice a week (25). In addition to myocardial infarction, the presence of cardiovascular disease was qualitatively assigned when an individual had undergone either coronary angioplasty and/or bypass surgery. The presence of hypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure >140 mm Hg and/or diastolic blood pressure >90 mm Hg and/or taking antihypertensive medication.
Lipoprotein studies
Blood was drawn after a 10 h fast for ultracentrifugal separation of the d < 1.006 g/cm3 and d > 1.006 g/cm3 fractions (26). HDL cholesterol was measured after precipitation of apoB-containing lipoproteins with dextran sulfate and magnesium (27). Cholesterol and TG levels were measured in plasma and in lipoprotein fractions by either automated fluorescence method (28) or automated chemical analysis (29). LDL cholesterol was calculated as the difference of the content of the LDL cholesterol plus HDL cholesterol fraction (d > 1.006 g/cm3) and the plasma HDL cholesterol. Standards were provided by the Centers for Disease Control (Atlanta, GA).
Determination of the apoA-V genotype
Genomic DNA was prepared from whole blood obtained from patients in the Lipid Clinic of UCSF (22). The presence or absence of the polymorphism (rs662799) 1,131 bp upstream of the transcription start site (T-1131C) of the APOAV gene was determined as described previously (21), when it was given the arbitrary designation "SNP3." Briefly, site-specific primers were used to amplify a 187 bp region of DNA by PCR encompassing the polymorphism. The penultimate base of the 3' oligonucleotide was changed to incorporate an MseI site (TTAA) in the common allele. Next, 10 units of the enzyme MseI in 15 µl of buffer was added directly to the PCR products and incubated at 37°C for 3 h. The products were resolved on 5% polyacrylamide gels and visualized using ethidium bromide and UV light.
Statistical methods
The SAS (2000, 2001) system for statistical analysis was used, principally procedures Regression and general linear model (GLM) for linear regression models, and LOGISTIC for logistic regression models (30, 31). On screened predictors, possible subset regression models were ranked by the Cp criterion (32). Power transformations of response variables were selected using a SAS macro implementing the methods of Box and Cox (33). Transformations of potential predictor variables were examined to maximize the explanatory power of the overall model (by maximizing the F statistic). One transformation among a small set (square, square root, log, reciprocal, reciprocal squared) was selected that best met these aims, ignoring trivial improvements. Selected interaction effects and covariate-adjusted means of the transformed responses for levels of categorical factors were tested using procedure GLM. Interaction effects with P < 0.10 were retained. Expected means on the untransformed scale were estimated using the "smearing" method (34). Two-group comparisons of means of untransformed variables used the Wilcoxon two-sample test. For multiple comparisons between factor levels, Bonferroni-corrected P values are reported.
| RESULTS |
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In the first of these analyses, we found significant differences in minor allele frequencies (CC+CT) among the predominant ethnic groups (P < 0.0003) represented in the study sample. No significant gender (P = 0.62) or interaction effects (P = 0.17) were observed. In multiple comparisons with Europeans, CC+CT was significantly higher for Chinese (P = 0.0002). Table 2 displays CC+CT by ethnic category.
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Genetic association of lipid parameters with APOAV
To examine the effects of the polymorphism on lipoprotein metabolism, significant changes in mean measures of total TG and cholesterol and total TG and cholesterol within VLDL, LDL, and HDL compartments were evaluated (Table 4). As observed previously (21), total TGs were significantly elevated in carriers of the APOAV minor allele. In addition, evaluation of the TG in the VLDL, LDL, and HDL compartments revealed that presence of the minor allele significantly increased all mean measures.
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Linear regression analysis of the effects of APOAV on lipid measures
Regression models for lipid measures included data-driven selection among the polymorphism categories CC, CT, and CT+CC (carriers of the minor allele). The impacts of the potential predictors included age, gender, three categories of dyslipidemia, prior angioplasty, hypertension, BMI, smoking, alcohol use, exercise, prior myocardial infarction, menstruation, and menopause. In the subset comprising the Chinese, Hispanic, and European ethnic groups, ethnicity was also considered; however, age and gender were not considered predictors for the normalized or age-gender-matched lipid measures.
Interaction effects were tested between clinical population and genotype categories, and between clinical population and any indicator of coronary disease (angioplasty, hypertension, or myocardial infarction), the effects of which could be less severe among controls. The models always included clinical population. Models in which a polymorphism effect did not achieve P < 0.10 are not reported.
Among the normalized or age-gender-matched lipid measures, a logarithmic transform was found to be generally appropriate for use in the models; the square-root transform was also examined for normalized LDL cholesterol. No significant models were indicated for TC or LDL cholesterol. In the models that follow, the polymorphism effect CT+CC versus TT was evaluated. For transformed lipid measures, estimated adjusted means on the original scale for CC+CT and TT are presented in Table 5.
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For VLDL cholesterol (n = 448), the best model selected CX versus TT (P = 0.0001). Effects include clinical population (P < 0.0001), hypertension (positive slope, P = 0.096), angioplasty (negative slope, P = 0.077), and BMI (positive slope, P = 0.001). The adjusted R 2 was 0.477.
For HDL cholesterol (n = 607), CC+CT versus TT (P = 0.017) was selected in the second best model. Effects include clinical population (P < 0.0001), myocardial infarction (negative slope, P = 0.016), alcohol use (positive slope, P < 0.0001), and BMI (negative slope, P < 0.0001). The adjusted R 2 was 0.5597. In the best model for HDL cholesterol, the polymorphism effect selected was CT versus CC and TT combined (P = 0.013). Other effects were as above, with slightly smaller P values. The adjusted R 2 was 0.5601, only slightly higher than for the preceding model.
| DISCUSSION |
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In comparison with the -1131C minor allele frequency established in a Caucasian normolipidemic study population (0.169) (21), we found an elevated -1131C frequency of 0.240. The recruitment of random unselected controls, particularly with respect to lipoprotein profile, would result in the inclusion of dyslipidemic individuals at the expected background population prevalence. Indeed, the control population included four individuals with combined hyperlipidemia, 17 individuals with hypoalphalipoproteinemia, and three individuals with hyperalphalipoproteinemia. Because -1131C contributes to a more atherogenic lipoprotein profile, an unselected control sample population could result in elevated susceptibility allele frequencies compared with a constrained normolipidemic population; however, recalculation of minor allele frequency in the subgroup of controls without dyslipidemia did not differ substantially (0.238).
A common theme in lipoprotein metabolism and cardiovascular disease risk has been the existence of varying degrees of gender differences in underlying susceptibility alleles of candidate genes (3840). In the European sample, striking differences in minor allele frequencies were observed between gender and clinical population. Female minor allele frequency was elevated in both combined hyperlipidemia and controls, whereas the opposite was observed in hypoalphalipoproteinemia. Others also observed this gender effect, though the extreme percentile segregation approach utilized makes comparison untenable (21).
In both investigations of the role of APOAV in lipoprotein metabolism, the -1131C minor allele was associated with elevated fasting plasma TG. In fact, we found evidence of increased TG content in each lipoprotein compartment measured (Table 4). Of particular interest was the observation of a significant increase in VLDL cholesterol in carriers of the minor allele. This finding in combination with the observation of increased VLDL TG in the same group confirms the report of increased VLDL mass in carriers of the minor allele (21). The observation of depressed HDL cholesterol content in these subjects remains equivocal. Given the elevated plasma TG inherent to combined hyperlipidemia and an unselected control population with respect to primary dyslipidemia, depressed levels of HDL cholesterol could be enriched in carriers of the minor allele secondary to elevated TG (unpublished observations) (41, 42).
Regression models for the normalized age-gender-matched lipid measures among carriers of the minor allele (-1131C) versus homozygous carriers of the major allele (T-1131) were examined in the context of possible effects of ethnicity, the three categories of dyslipidemia, and risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Regression models permitting estimates of adjusted means based on genotype were available for TG, VLDL cholesterol, and HDL cholesterol. Possession of the -1131C minor allele produced, on average, a 10.7% (21 mg/dl) elevation in plasma TG. This is a more modest elevation than the 2030% previously attributed to possession of the minor allele (21).
Perhaps the most striking effect observed in carriers of the minor allele is 24.2% (8 mg/dl) elevation in VLDL cholesterol. VLDL cholesterol is a component of non-HDL cholesterol, a newly recognized measure of an atherogenic profile with strong predictive promise in a clinical setting (43, 44). The significant elevation of VLDL cholesterol observed due to genetic variation at the APOAV locus warrants its investigation as a potential clinical genotype.
The limited number of individuals homozygous for the rare allele made it difficult to distinguish two possible regression models for HDL cholesterol. When all three genotype categories were forced into the model, the same covariates were selected, and the genotype factor had overall P = 0.0396. For CT versus (CC, TT), the heterozygous state resulted in a 6% (2.5 mg/dl) depression in HDL cholesterol (P = 0.0123), while the model for CT+CC versus TT resulted in a 4.9% (2 mg/dl) decrease (P = 0.0167). Though it is not possible to distinguish the "best" model given the data, several examples exist in the literature for which heterozygous states have more detrimental profiles than do their homozygous counterparts (45, 46), not the least of which is a report of a complex haplotype across the APOAI-CIII-AIV gene cluster contributing to FCHL (12, 18). To that end, complex haplotype analysis integrating linkage information from all four members of the gene cluster in family-based settings will help to delineate the complex inheritance of this locus to lipoprotein metabolism and cardiovascular risk (4749).
Preliminary investigations of haplotype structure in the region of APOAV and the APOA-CIII-AIV gene cluster revealed a complex inheritance of genetic determinants of TG (50, 51). Within APOAV, a nonsynonymous change at residue 19 (serine
tryptophan) of apoA-V was independently associated with modestly increased plasma TG in carriers of the minor allele (50). Recent analysis of APOCIII, APOAIV, and APOAV has revealed that T-1131C and S19W have an additive effect on plasma TG (51). Moreover, both polymorphisms are in strong allelic association with another polymorphism in APOC3 (C-482T) found to independently elevate plasma TG (51). Examination of haplotypes spanning the entire APOAI-CIII-AIV gene cluster and APOAV within a large study population should help delineate the impact of both individual and compound polymorphisms on TG metabolism.
Exploration of potential ethnic and/or gender differences in the total study sample revealed a striking elevation of minor allele frequency in Chinese individuals. The observation of increased allele frequency among Chinese individuals was observed irrespective of clinical population. This trend was readily observed in Japanese subjects, though small sample size precluded accurate estimates of allele frequency (data not shown). Interestingly, association of T-1131C with elevated plasma TG and lower HDL cholesterol was also reported in a study of Japanese schoolchildren (52). Study of Eastern Asian populations consuming a Western diet revealed an increase of coronary disease and prevalence equivalent to that observed in Caucasian populations (5357). This suggests that the role of APOAV in TG metabolism in these populations has a significant impact on coronary disease and warrants further investigation.
The functional role of the T-1131C polymorphism is not clear. In a recent report, -1131C was found to be in strong linkage disequilibrium with an immediate promoter polymorphism, A-3G (50). While A-3G could be hypothesized to disrupt the Kozak consensus sequence necessary for efficient expression of that allele, formal evaluation of the functional significance of both variations using alternate promoter-driven reporter constructs is required (50).
Compelling evidence from meta-analysis of a number of clinical studies on a large number of patients established an increased level of TG as an independent risk factor for atherosclerotic heart disease (41, 42). The finding of TG-rich lipoproteins in human atheromata provides substantial pathophysiologic evidence for a direct role in atherogenesis (58). Using the APOAV variation(s) for early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of genetically determined cardiovascular disease could have a significant clinical impact. Perhaps pharmacological modulation of the levels of this protein in human patients with high VLDL levels could reduce VLDL and TG levels, potentially elevating HDL cholesterol. Such alterations would ameliorate the atherogenic profile, thus reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
| ACKNOWLEDGMENTS |
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Manuscript received December 20, 2002 and in revised form March 4, 2003.
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