ISSN:
1435-232X
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Biology
,
Medicine
Notes:
Summary Human apolipoprotein (apo) E plays an important role in the metabolism of cholesterol and other lipids. Apo E5 and apo E7 are genetic variants of apo E and have been detected in about 5% of Japanese patients with hyperlipidemia and ischemic heart disease. The existence of apo E5 and apo E7, however, had not been reported in apparently healthy individuals except for a few family members of the patients with apo E5 or apo E7. It has been suggested that apo E5 and apo E7 are closely related to the development of atherosclerosis. The purpose of this study is to investigate the frequency of apo E5 and apo E7 in apparently healthy Japanese and to analyze serum lipid levels of the individuals with apo E5 or apo E7. The apo E phenotypes of 197 apparently healthy Japanese adults were determined by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. The gene frequencies of apo E were: ∈3, 0.843; ∈4;0.112; ∈2, 0.038; ∈5, 0.006; ∈7, 0.00035. Three out of 187 subjects (1.5%) were found to have apo E5 or apo E7 in heterozygous state. Two of them were heterozygous with apo E3 (apo E3/5 and apo E3/7) and the both had normal serum lipid levels, though they were more than 50 years old. The other individual was heterozygous with apo E2 (apo E2/5) and had mild hypertriglyceridemia. As to myocardial infarction, angina pectoris and cerebral infarction, no clinically abnormal findings were detected in all the three individuals with apo E5 or apo E7. The data suggest that the frequency of the individuals with apo E5 or apo E7 is of the order of 1% and much higher than that of the homozygotes with apo E2/2 in Japanese. The data also indicate that further genetic, epidemiologic and clinical studies are required to determine whether ∈5 and ∈7 act as a dominant major gene, as a recessive major gene, or as one of polymeric genes, in predisposing one to hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF01907964
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