Apolipoprotein(a) gene polymorphisms (TTTTA)n and G/A-914 affect Lp(a) levels in ischemic heart disease patients from Serbia.
OBJECTIVE
Lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) concentration is determined primarily by the apolipoprotein(a) (apo(a)) gene. The pentanucleotide (TTTTA)n repeat and G/A-914 polymorphisms are in the 5' promoter region of the apo(a) gene. To elucidate whether these polymorphisms affect Lp(a) levels, a total of 211 Serbian adults were investigated.


METHODS
One hundred and eleven patients with ischemic heart disease and 100 healthy controls were genotyped and Lp(a) levels determined.


RESULTS
Lp(a) concentrations differed according to the (TTTTA)n genotypes: among those having at least one allele 8, patients had significantly higher Lp(a) values than controls. A decreasing trend of Lp(a) values was associated with the -914A allele in controls but the opposite was true in patients. Patients with genotype TTTTA allele 8/AA-914 had significantly higher Lp(a) values than those without allele 8/AA (p < 0.05). The >8>8/GG genotype was not detected. Significant linkage disequilibrium between (TTTTA)n and G/A-914 polymorphism (p < 0.001) was found. In multivariate regression analysis, the G/A-914 polymorphism significantly (p < 0.05) affected Lp(a) levels in patients, after taking into account the (TTTTA)n polymorphism.


CONCLUSIONS
These results indicate that (TTTTA)n and G/A-914 polymorphisms affect Lp(a) levels in ischemic heart disease as a consequence of the linkage disequlibrium.
Dincić
Dragan
D
Clinic for Urgent Internal Medicine, Military Medical Academy, Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro.
Zivković
Maja
M
Stanković
Aleksandra
A
Djurić
Tamara
T
Vujanić
Svetlana
S
Gligić
Branko
B
Alavantić
Dragan
D
D024506:5' Flanking Region / Q000235:genetics; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000483:Alleles; D001053:Apolipoproteins / Q000235:genetics; D053241:Apoprotein(a); D004843:Epistasis, Genetic; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics; D005828:Genetics, Population; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D015810:Linkage Disequilibrium / Q000235:genetics; D017270:Lipoprotein(a) / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats / Q000235:genetics*; D008875:Middle Aged; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D012307:Risk Factors; D015022:Yugoslavia
D001053:Apolipoproteins; D017270:Lipoprotein(a); D053241:Apoprotein(a)