Genetics
A rare long CETP allele raises coronary artery disease risk nearly 7-fold in Corsican patients (Exp Mol Pathol 2006)
Original title: Cholesteryl ester transfer protein gene polymorphisms are associated with coronary artery disease in Corsican population (France)
In 300 unrelated Corsican patients with angiographically documented coronary artery disease (CAD) and 300 unrelated healthy blood donors, distribution of CETP (gaaa)n polymorphism alleles differed significantly between groups (p=0.03; chi2=16.8, df=8). The long allele (408 bp) occurred in 12% of cases versus 2% of controls, a 6.75-fold increased CAD risk (p=0.0055, OR=6.750, 95% CI 1.47-31.00). This long allele was also significantly associated with HDL-cholesterol levels, and in both patients and controls, LL genotype carriers had lower HDL-C than SS and SL carriers (p<0.0001), suggesting CETP genetic variation plays an important role in CAD risk in this Corsican population.
Original abstract
The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between coronary artery disease (CAD) and Cholesterol Ester Transfer Protein (CETP) (gaaa)n polymorphisms of the CETP gene in Central Corsica island (France). The study group was composed by 300 unrelated Corsican patients with angiographically documented CAD and 300 unrelated healthy blood donors. Significant differences were observed in the distribution of CETP (gaaa)n alleles between the groups under study (p=0.03; chi(2): 16.8, df: 8). The occurrence of a long allele (408 bp) was higher in cases (12%) than in control group (2%), showing a 6.75-fold increased risk for CAD in Corsica patients (p=0.0055; OR=6.750; 95% CIs=1.47-31.00). The correlation of this polymorphism with the lipid profile (cholesterol, low density lipoprotein-cholesterol, high density lipoprotein-cholesterol and triglycerides) in the patients group was determined. There was a significant association of the long alleles of CETP (gaaa)n with HDL-C levels. In the patient and in the control groups the LL genotypes had lower HDL-C compared with the SS and SL genotypes (p<0.0001). In summary our results suggest that the genetic variation at the CETP gene may play an important role in determining CAD in Corsican population.
Summary written by cetpinhibition.org from the published abstract; figures as published. Page updated 19 August 2026. Methods.