Association of gender, ABCA1 gene polymorphisms and lipid profile in Greek young nurses

The study population consisted of 447 (87 men) unrelated nurses who were genotyped for ABCA1 gene polymorphisms. Additionally, lipid profile [total cholesterol, triglycerides, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and apolipoprotein A1] was evaluated.The distribution of all three studied ABCA1 gene polymorphisms did not differ according to gender. However, only R219K genotype distribution bared borderline statistical significance (p？=？0.08) between the two studied groups. Moreover, allele frequencies of R219K, R1587K and I88M polymorphisms did not differ according to gender. In general, blood lipid levels did not seem to vary according to ABCA1 gene polymorphisms, when testing all subjects or when testing only men or only women. However, a significant difference of LDL-C distribution was detected in all subjects according to R1587K genotype, indicating lower LDL-C levels with KK polymorphism (p？=？0.0025). The above difference was solely detected on female population (p？=？0.0053).The ABCA1 gene polymorphisms frequency, distribution and lipid profile did not differ according to gender. However, in the female population the KK genotype of R1587K gene indicated lower LDL-C levels. Further studies, involving a higher number of individuals, are required to clarify genes and gender contribution.ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) mediates the transport of cholesterol and phospholipids from cells to lipid-poor apolipoproteins. Animals and human studies documented that defects in the ABCA1 pathway are significant determinants of coronary artery disease (CAD) [1]. Inactivation of ABCA1 gene in macrophages increases atherosclerotic lesions in hyperlipidemic mice [2,3], and overexpressing human ABCA1 in transgenic mice retards atherogenesis [4,5]. The ABCA1 gene is located on the chromosome 9 in the area 9q31.1 and encodes ABCA1 protein. ABCA1 protein is expressed in liver, macrophages, intestines, lungs etc. Several ABCA1 gen