Association of IL-4 receptor gene polymorphisms with high density lipoprotein cholesterol

The aim of this study is to investigate the correlation between E400A polymorphisms of interleukin-4 receptor alpha chain (IL-4R alpha) and lipid metabolism. Genomic DNA from 121 type 2 diabetes mellitus (12DM) patients and 113 non-diabetic, non-obese control study subjects were extracted, and their IL-4R alpha E400A polymorphisms were analyzed by PCR-RFLP. The correlation between IL-4R alpha E400A genotypes and study subjects' lipid profile was then examined. Significant associations of the IL-4R alpha E400A genotypes and high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) levels among control individuals (p = 0.007), as well as among the 12DM patients (p = 0.029), were observed. Significant correlations between IL-4R alpha E400A genotypes with blood pressure, as well as with blood urea nitrogen, were also observed in control subjects. Our results reveal that IL-4R alpha may play certain roles in the lipid metabolism of Taiwanese population and suggest a novel link between lipid metabolism and the cytokine receptor. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.