Effects of Obesity and Family History of Diabetes on the Association of CETP rs6499861 with HDL-C Level in Korean Populations

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to examine the associations of cholesterol ester transfer protein (CETP) rs6499861 and rs12708980 with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) considering obesity and family history of diabetes (FHD) in Korean men and women. METHODS: We analyzed the association of CETP single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with HDL-C among individuals selected from a hospital (n=4 294) and the Bundang-gu area in Korea (n=2 304). RESULTS: We found that the CETP SNP rs6499861 was associated with a lower HDL-C level (effect per allele: −2.044 mg/dL, p<0.0001). Individuals with a rs6499861 CG/GG genotype had a 1.45-fold higher risk of an abnormal level of HDL-C (<40 mg/dL) than those with a CC genotype. This genotype-HDL-C association was stronger in women (odds ratio [OR], 1.99; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.39–2.85) compared with men (OR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.10–1.61) and in women with a FHD (OR, 4.82; 95% CI, 1.86–12.5; p=0.0012) compared with women without a family history. Relative to individuals with a CC genotype and body mass index (BMI) <25.69 kg/m², individuals with a CG/GG genotype and BMI ≥25.69 kg/m² had an OR (95% CI) of 2.61 (1.97–3.47). CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that CETP variants are linked to HDL-C level in Koreans and that this link is stronger in obese men and in women who have a FHD.

The ABCG2 Polymorphism rs2725220 Is Associated with Hyperuricemia in the Korean Population

Elevated serum uric acid levels are associated with a variety of adverse health outcomes, including gout, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular diseases. Several genome-wide association studies on uric acid levels have implicated the ATP-binding cassette, subfamily G, member 2 (ABCG2) gene as being possibly causal. We investigated an association between the single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs2725220 in the ABCG2 gene and uric acid levels in the Korean population. A total of 991 subjects in Seoul City were used for a replication study with ABCG2 SNP rs2725220. The rs2725220 SNP in the ABCG2 gene was associated with mean uric acid levels (effect per allele 0.25 mg/dL, p or =7.0 mg/dL) than subjects with the GG genotype. When analyzed by gender, the association with ABCG2 was stronger in men than in women. The association with ABCG2 was much stronger in male subjects with body mass index (BMI) > or = 26.4 (odds ratio, 5.09; 95% confidence interval, 2.41 to 10.8) than in male subjects with BMI < 26.4. This study clearly demonstrates that genetic variations in ABCG2 influence uric acid levels in Korean adults.