Conditional linkage and genome-wide association studies identify UGT1A1 as a major gene for anti-atherogenic serum bilirubin levels--the Framingham Heart Study.

ABSTRACT:

Objective and methods

Low bilirubin levels are significantly associated with cardiovascular diseases (CVD). In previous genome-wide linkage studies we identified a major locus on chromosome 2q harboring the candidate gene UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT1A1). The activity of this enzyme is significantly influenced by a TA-repeat polymorphism in the promoter of the gene. In a prospective study individuals with genotype (TA)7/(TA)7 had significantly higher bilirubin levels and approximately one-third the risk of CVD as carriers of the wildtype (TA)6 allele. In the present study we performed a conditional linkage study to investigate whether this polymorphism explains the observed linkage peak and extended our analysis by a genome-wide association study on bilirubin levels in 1345 ind

SUBMITTER: Lin JP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2752659 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature