Genetic Variants Associated With Myocardial Infarction Risk Factors in Over 8000 Individuals From Five Ethnic Groups The INTERHEART Genetics Study

Background-Myocardial infarction (MI) is a leading cause of death globally, but specific genetic variants that influence MI and MI risk factors have not been assessed on a global basis. Methods and Results-We included 8795 individuals of European, South Asian, Arab, Iranian, and Nepalese origin from the INTERHEART case-control study that genotyped 1536 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 103 genes. One hundred and two SNPs were nominally associated with MI, but the statistical significance did not remain after adjustment for multiple testing. A subset of 940 SNPs from 69 genes were tested against MI risk factors. One hundred and sixty-three SNPs were nominally associated with a MI risk factor and 13 remained significant after adjusting for multiple testing. Of these 13, 11 were associated with apolipoprotein (Apo) B/A1 levels: 8 SNPs from 3 genes were associated with Apo B, and 3 cholesteryl ester transfer protein SNPs were associated with Apo A1. Seven of 8 of the SNPs associated with Apo B levels were nominally associated with MI (P < 0.05), whereas none of the 3 cholesteryl ester transfer protein SNPs were associated with MI (P >= 0.17). Of the 3 SNPs most significantly associated with MI, rs7412, which defines the Apo E2 isoform, was associated with both a lower Apo B/A1 ratio (P = 1.0 x 10(-7)) and lower MI risk (P = 0.0004). Two low-density lipoprotein receptor variants, 1 intronic (rs6511720) and 1 in the 3' untranslated region (rs1433099) were both associated with a lower Apo B/A1 ratio (P = 1.0 x 10(-5)) and a lower risk of MI (P = 0.004 and P = 0.003, respectively). Conclusions-Thirteen common SNPs were associated with MI risk factors. Importantly, SNPs associated with Apo B levels were associated with MI, whereas SNPs associated with Apo A1 levels were not. The Apo E isoform, and 2 common low-density lipoprotein receptor variants (rs1433099 and rs6511720) influence MI risk in this multiethnic sample. (Circ Cardiovasc Genet. 2009; 2: 16-25.)