Variants in the β,β‐carotene monooxygenase‐1 gene are associated with elevated plasma high density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in young Mexican adults (645.19)

Abstract

Retinoic acid and retinol are important mediators of a multitude of metabolic processes in the human body, including lipid metabolism. Major dietary precursors of retinoids include the pro‐vitamin A carotenoids. Beta‐carotene, which is cleaved by the enzyme BCMO1, can be a principle source of retinoic acid in the diet. Within the BCMO1 gene, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs6564851 and rs10048138) have been found to affect activity of this enzyme. Previously, associations between these SNPs and plasma lipid levels have been observed in U.S. cohorts but have not been replicated in the Mexican population. Our objective was to examine the association between differences in genotype of BCMO1‐rs6564851 and rs10048138 and plasma lipid levels in a cohort of young Mexican adults (n=374). DNA was obtained from whole blood and was genotyped using the Taqman system. General linear models were used to systematically analyze associations. Both SNPs were in Hardy‐Weinberg Equilibrium with minor allele frequencies of 0.53 and 0.29, respectively. We found a genetic association between a haplotype constructed with these two SNPs and plasma HDL‐C levels. Regardless of BMI category and smoking status, minor allele carriers were associated with elevated plasma HDL‐C (p<0.02). These results suggest that the SNPs in the BCMO1 gene could confer changes in enzyme activity that could affect risk for dyslipidemia.Grant Funding Source: University of Illinois at Urbana‐Champaign Research Board grant 09070 (to F. Andrade)