Linkage disequilibrium relationships among four polymorphisms within the human fibrinogen gene cluster.

The extent of linkage equilibrium was estimated among four recently characterized human fibrinogen restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) using a randomly selected group of 110 individuals from California. Two coding region RFLPs, RsaI and MnlI (FGA codon 312 and FGB codon 448, respectively), and two RFLPs located in the 5' flanking region of the FGB gene, AluI (HindIII) and HaeIII, were analyzed. Maximum likelihood estimates based on genotypic data indicated that the RsaI polymorphism in the FGA gene was at apparent linkage equilibrium with the MnlI, AluI, and HaeIII sites in the FGB gene, but strong linkage disequilibrium was noted for the MnlI-AluI, MnlI-HaeIII, and AluI-HaeIII RFLP pairs within the latter gene. The discrepancy in disequilibrium relationships among these closely linked RFLPs may indicate a region of increased recombination between the FGA and FGB RFLP loci. The FGA RsaI polymorphism, when used in conjunction with any of the FGB sites examined, will provide more detailed linkage or association data than analyses that would utilize only FGB sites. Effective use of polymorphisms within the fibrinogen locus will aid analysis of the relationships between fibrinogen genotype, plasma fibrinogen levels, and risk of cardiovascular disease.

Human fibrinogen polymorphic site analysis by restriction endonuclease digestion and allele-specific polymerase chain reaction amplification: identification of polymorphisms at positions A alpha 312 and B beta 448.

In the fibrinogen molecule, a total of seven sites have been tentatively identified as polymorphic; however, disagreements about these sites have been observed among the various protein and DNA sequence data published. To allow examination of the potential polymorphic sites at the DNA level, human genomic DNA samples were prepared from 110 unrelated, healthy individuals. Either allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (ASPCR) amplification or PCR amplification followed by restriction endonuclease digestion was used to detect the presence of possible polymorphisms. Two polymorphic sites were confirmed, one at A alpha 312 (Thr/Ala) by RsaI restriction analysis, and a second at B beta 448 (Arg/Lys) by MnlI restriction analysis. Mendelian inheritance of both polymorphisms was demonstrated and allele frequencies were estimated as 0.76/0.24 and 0.85/0.15 for the A alpha 312 and B beta 448 sites, respectively. The sites at A alpha 47, A alpha 296, B beta 162, B beta 296, and gamma 88 showed no evidence of variation in any of our samples. The amino acid polymorphisms at A alpha 312 and B beta 448 reflect conservative residue changes with unknown effects on fibrinogen structure or function. An additional, previously unrecognized DNA sequence variant was detected in a single individual in the second intron of the A alpha chain using HinfI restriction analysis.