Distribution of Apolipoprotein E (APOE) Genotypes in a Siberian Female Population Sample

Variations at the apolipoprotein E (APOE) locus influence lipid and lipoprotein levels in the normal population, and are associated with premature coronary artery disease. In the present study, the APOE genotypes and allele frequencies in 299 women from Novosibirsk (West Siberia) were determined. APOE genotypes were detected by restriction isotyping after amplification of the genomic DNA by PCR. APOE*3 was found to be the predominant allele (allele frequency = 0.769). The frequency of APOE*2 and APOE*4 alleles were found to be 0.048 and 0.182, respectively. The results are compared with those reported for major human populations of the world. Moreover, genotypic relationship with quantitative lipid levels (total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides) were examined. Subjects with APOE*2 allele showed much lower total choletsterol and HDL values as compared to APOE*4 allele carriers supporting the notion that E*4 allele is a susceptibility factor for cardiovascular diseases.