Association of polymorphism of apolipoprotein E gene with coronary heart disease in Han Chinese

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between apolipoprotein E (apoE) gene polymorphism and coronary heart disease(CHD) in Han Chinese. METHODS: Apo E genotype was examined with the methods of hot start polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction isotyping in samples of 113 unrelated Chinese healthy individuals and 93 patients with CHD. The relation of the gene polymorphism of apoE and levels of serum lipids, lipoproteins, and apolipoproteins was also studied. RESULTS: The results showed that the epsilon 4/3 genotype was more frequent in CHD cases than in control subjects (31.2% vs. 11.5%, P < 0.01). The frequency of the epsilon 4 allele in CHD cases was significantly higher than in control subjects (17.2% vs 7.5%, P < 0.01). The epsilon 4 allele was associated with high concentrations of serum TC (r = 0.265, P < 0.05), LDL-C (r = 0.266, P < 0.05), and apoB (r = 0.360, P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Hot start PCR assay is considered a rapid and simple technique for apoE genotyping. This method is suitable for routine laboratories and large scale population studies. Genetic polymorphism of the apoE gene might contribute to the determination of serum lipid profile and the development of CHD among Han Chinese.