Association of the Apolipoprotein A5 Gene −1131T>C Polymorphism with Serum Lipids in Korean Subjects: Impact of Sasang Constitution

Apolipoprotein A5 (APOA5) was identified as a strong modulator of serum lipids. Moreover, an APOA5 gene -1131T>C polymorphism has been associated with serum lipids, but the results are inconsistent according to ethnic and racial groups. We have genotyped and analyzed 1,619 outpatients of Korean oriental medicine hospitals who were classified into three Sasang constitution groups (SCGs), So-Yang (SY), So-Eum (SE), and Tae-Eum (TE). There were no significant difference in the distribution of the APOA5 -1131T>C genotype among the three SCGs. Subjects with the C allele in SY and TE showed significantly lower serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and higher triglyceride (TG) levels than noncarriers of the C allele. These results show the differences in the prevalence of decreasing serum HDL-C and elevating serum TG levels along with APOA5 -1131T>C polymorphism according to SCG and suggest that SCG may act as a significant risk factor for hypo-HDL-C-emia and hypertriglyceridemia susceptibility.