Relationship of polymorphisms in the cholesteryl ester transport protein gene R451Q with coronary heart disease and diabetes in Uyghur and Han Chinese

To investigate the relationship of polymorphisms in the cholesteryl ester transport protein (CETP) gene with coronary heart disease (CHD) and diabetes in subjects of Uyghur and Han Chinese origin, 266 subjects with CHD including 154 subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus and 136 healthy subjects (as a control group) were enrolled in this study. Polymerase chain reaction and an enzymatic assay based on the ligase detection reaction were used to detect R451Q polymorphisms in the CETP gene. The data were used for genotyping to determine the allele frequency distribution of the CETP gene R451Q polymorphism to investigate its effects on lipid and apolipoprotein levels. Genotype and allele frequencies of CETP R451QA did not show any significant differences among the CHD and healthy control groups. Moreover, no significant difference in the CETP R451QA genotype and allele frequency was detected among the subjects of Uyghur and Han origin. Blood levels of lipids and apolipoproteins likewise lacked an association with CETP R451QA genotype frequencies in the CHD/diabetes group. We conclude that the R451Q polymorphisms in the CETP gene had no effects on blood lipid levels and are not a risk factor for CHD in Han and Uyghur Chinese.