– Genome variants interact with each other and the environment to affect cardiovascular disease risk
REYKJAVIK, Iceland, Sept. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Scientists at deCODE Genetics, a subsidiary of Amgen, and collaborators at the Icelandic healthcare system and the University of Copenhagen, today publish a study in the journal Cell titled “Effects complexes of sequence variants on lipid levels and coronary artery disease.
The work described in the article is based on the search for variants in the genome that are associated with variation in quantitative traits and the assumption that these variants must interact with other variants or components of the environment.
It is well established that “bad” cholesterol (also called non-HDL cholesterol and LDL cholesterol) directly contributes to the development of cardiovascular disease.
Both the environment and the genome influence bad cholesterol and, consequently, cardiovascular health. This influence can be complex and intertwined. For example, drinking alcohol tends to increase bad cholesterol, but the study showed that carriers of a particular sequence variant known to slow alcohol metabolism are protected against the negative effects of alcohol consumption on artery disease. coronaries. Carriers of a particular sequence of variants that are associated with liver fat are more susceptible to increased bad cholesterol after eating oily fish than non-carriers.
Similarly, the authors show that genome variants interact with each other to affect cholesterol levels. The study shows that homozygotes of the APOE2 allele, which protects against the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, are just as likely to have high levels of bad cholesterol (non-HDL cholesterol) as non-carriers, but they have much fewer carrier particles of the APOE2 allele. cholesterol (ApoB). These homozygotes have a similar risk of developing coronary artery disease as non-carriers, demonstrating that it is the amount of bad cholesterol and not the number of particles carrying bad cholesterol that confers disease risk. Furthermore, the authors show that blood group secretory status influences cholesterol levels and cardiovascular disease risk among individuals not in blood group A1, but has no influence among those in blood group A1.
These examples highlight the complex and fascinating ways in which the genome and environment interact to affect health and demonstrate that a wide range of models is required for a comprehensive understanding of the genetics of human diseases.
Headquartered in Reykjavik, Iceland, deCODE is a world leader in the analysis and understanding of the human genome. Using its unique expertise and population resources, deCODE has discovered genetic risk factors for dozens of common diseases. The purpose of understanding the genetics of diseases is to use that information to create new means of diagnosing, treating and preventing diseases. deCODE is a wholly owned subsidiary of Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN).
Media contact:Thora Kristin Asgeirsdottir,thora.asgeirsdottir@decode.is00354 894 1909
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