Apolipoprotein E gene polymorphism and its association with human longevity in the Uygur nationality in Xinjiang

OBJECTIVE: To study the relationship between apoE alleles and life-span. METHODS: Apolipoprotein E genotypes were determined in 164 unrelated Uygurs including 35 persons aged 90 years or older, 71 men aged 20-35 and 54 men with myocardial infarction by using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Apolipoprotein E gene polymorphism was analyzed among three groups. RESULTS: There was statistically significant difference in the epsilon 4 allele frequencies among three groups. The epsilon 4 allele frequency in olds was the lowest (0.057), while in patients suffering from myocardial infarction (MI) was the highest (0.213). In MI patients the average age of first attack in epsilon 4 allele carriers was significantly younger than that of non-carries, 51.3 and 58.3 years, respectively (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: ApoE genotype may have some impact on human longevity.