Associations of apolipoprotein E concentration and polymorphism with lipids and apolipoprotein levels in Chinese from Beijing and Shanghai

The association of apolipoprotein E concentration and common polymorphism ( codons 112/158) with lipid and apolipoprotein concentrations was studied in two Chinese healthy population samples from Beijing (n=99) and Shanghai (n =67). Body mass index and apolipoproteins E and Al and triglyceride concent rations were significantly different between the two populations (0.001<p<0 .05), but apolipoprotein E common allele frequencies were not significantly different. Apolipoprotein E concentration was independently associated wit h apolipoproteins B and Al, total cholesterol and triglyceride concentratio ns in the Beijing group, but only with total cholesterol and apolipoprotein Al concentrations in the Shanghai group. Apolipoprotein E polymorphism was significantly associated with apolipoproteins E and Al, and triglyceride c oncentrations in the Beijing subjects (0.001<p<0.01), whereas apolipoprotei n E polymorphism was significantly related only to apolipoprotein E concent ration in the Shanghai group (p<0.001). This preliminary study with a limit ed number of subjects shows that the relations between both apolipoprotein E genotypes and concentration with lipid traits are not the same in the two studied Chinese populations.