Association of Scavenger Receptor Class B Type I Polymorphisms With Subclinical Atherosclerosis The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

Background - Little is known about the association of scavenger receptor class B type I (SCARB1) single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and subclinical atherosclerosis, particularly in subjects of different racial/ethnic backgrounds. We examined this relationship in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. Methods and Results - Forty-three SCARB1-tagging SNPs were genotyped. Baseline examinations included fasting lipids and subclinical atherosclerosis phenotypes (coronary artery calcification, common carotid intimal-medial artery thickness [CCIMT], and internal carotid intimal-medial artery thickness). Examining SNP associations with different subclinical atherosclerosis phenotypes across multiple racial/ethnic groups with adjustment for multiple covariates, we found that the C allele of SNP rs10846744 was associated with higher CCIMT in African American (P = 0.03), Chinese (P = 0.02), European American (P = 0.05), and Hispanic participants (P = 0.03) and was strongly associated in pooled analyses (P = 0.0002). The results also showed that the association of this SNP with CCIMT was independent of lipids and other well-established cardiovascular risk factors. Stratifying by sex, there seemed to be a strong association of rs10846744 with CCIMT in women, but no genotype-sex interactions were observed. Conclusions - Variation in SCARB1 at rs10846744 was significantly associated with CCIMT across racial/ethnic groups in Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. (Circ Cardiovasc Genet. 2010;3:47-52.)