Association Between MspI Polymorphisms of the Apolipoprotein A-I Gene and Hyperlipidemia in an Iranian Population

 One of the most important metabolic disorders is hyperlipidemia. ApoAI protein plays an important role in lipoprotein metabolism. In this study, the association between MspI polymorphisms in the promoter (G-75A) and first intron (C83T) of the apoAI gene and hyperlipidemia was investigated in Semnan, Iran.

 A total of 151 unrelated subjects were divided into two groups: the hyperlipidemic (N = 75) and control (N = 76) groups. Genotyping was carried out by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP).

 In the hyperlipidemic group, the frequency of the (+−) variant of the MspI (C83T) locus was higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05). Significant differences were found in serum HDL-C and apoAI levels between different genotypes of MspI (C83T) (P < 0.001 and P = 0.02, respectively). In the hyperlipidemic group, the odds ratios for the (+−) and (−−) genotypes of the MspI (C83T) locus in comparison to that for the (++) genotype were 0.26 (P= 0.023) and 3.62 (P = 0.254), respectively. The allelic frequency at the (G-75A) locus was not significantly different in the hyperlipidemic and control groups (P = 0.36). The serum levels of lipid and lipoprotein were not significantly different for all genotypes of MspI (G-75A). The AA/++ and GG/−− haplotypes had the lowest and highest apoB/apoAI ratios, respectively (0.73 ± 0.03 vs. 1.9).

 The presence of (+) and A alleles in the apoAI (C83T) and (G-75A) haplotypes in the Semnan population may be protective against cardiovascular disease.