Association between LDLR polymorphism and diseases in the Japanese population: aging and distribution of the polymorphism

A number of DNA polymorphisms have been found to he associated with the pat hophysiology of some common disease. If the LDLR polymorphism is directly o r indirectly related to some fatal disease, the distribution of the polymor phism may vary with age. We therefore investigated the aging-associated dis tribution of the LDLR polymorphism. Blood samples were collected from Japan ese cadavers (aged 0-91) at autopsy. The LDLR polymorphism was detected usi ng a AmpliType PM PCR Typing kit. When the LDLR genotype was examined in ca davers divided according to age into 0-29 year group. 30-59 year group, and 60-91 year group, there were significant differences in genotype among the three age groups and between the 0-29 year group and 60-91 year group. The LDLR-A genotype tended to be lower in the older cadavers. The present stud y revealed that then were aging-dependent differences in the distribution o f the LDLR polymorphism in autopsy samples, suggesting that a common mutati on involved in the occurrence of fatal diseases may be present near the LDL R-A polymorphism locus. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights r eserved.