APOLIPOPROTEIN-E POLYMORPHISM INFLUENCE ON LIPIDS, APOLIPOPROTEINS AND LP(A) IN A SPANISH POPULATION UNDEREXPRESSING APO E4

The apolipoprotein E (ape E) polymorphism in a Spanish working populat ion of Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain) was analyzed. The distribution of apo E alleles (epsilon 3, 0.850; epsilon 2, 0.075; epsilon 4, 0.07 5) and phenotypes (E3/3, 72.6%; E3/4, 13%; E3/2, 11.5%; E4/4, 0.8%; E2 /2, 1.5%; E4/2, 0.5%) was significantly different from those of a comb ined Caucasian population owing to a lower frequency of apo E4. We hav e also investigated the effect of apo E polymorphism on serum levels o f cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, Lp(a) and apolipoprot eins A-I, B and E. The average effect of E4 (in whole sample and men o nly, respectively) was to raise serum levels of total cholesterol (by 4.1 mg/dl and 8.3 mg/dl), LDL-cholesterol (by 6.5 mg:dl and 9 mg/dl), and apo B (5.3 mg/dl and 4.5 mg/dl). The average effect of E2 was to l ower serum levels of total cholesterol (by 14.8 mg/dl and 8.3 mg/dl), LDL-cholesterol (by 20.2 mg/dl and 15.5 mg/dl) and apo B (11.5 mg/dl a nd 6.5 mg/dl), and to raise apo E (1.14 mg/dl and 3.4 mg/dl). We found significantly higher serum triglyceride levels in individuals carryin g E4, but no differences were found in serum HDL-cholesterol, apo A-I or Lp(a) by alleles. Data confirm previous reports about an underexpre ssion of apo E4 in societies living in Southern Europe, and its reperc ussion in a more beneficial lipid profile and relatively low cardiovas cular mortality rate in the Mediterranean region.