Combined CETP B1 and eNOS 4a alleles raise coronary artery disease risk up to 34-fold in Malay and Indian, but not Chinese, ethnic groups (Clin Appl Thromb Hemost 2016)

Original title: Association of Cholesteryl Ester Transfer Protein and Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase Gene Polymorphisms With Coronary Artery Disease in the Multi-Ethnic Malaysian Population

Clin Appl Thromb Hemost · 9 February 2015 · 6

Chu WC, Aziz AF, Nordin AJ, Cheah YK

This study investigated the relationship between CETP and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene polymorphisms and coronary artery disease (CAD) risk, and their potential gene-gene interaction, in a multi-ethnic Malaysian population of 237 CAD patients and 101 controls. The association between the polymorphisms and CAD risk varied among ethnic groups. The concomitant presence of both the CETP B1 allele and the eNOS 4a allele significantly increased CAD risk in the Malay group (OR=33.8, P less than .001) and the Indian group (OR=10.9, P=.031), but not in the Chinese group. The authors report this as a novel ethnic-specific gene-gene interaction, with the CETP B1 and eNOS 4a allele combination significantly raising CAD risk specifically in Malays and Indians.

Original abstract

Genetic variants of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) influence high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) metabolism and nitric oxide (NO) synthesis, respectively, and might increase the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). This study is to investigate the relationship between genetic polymorphisms and the risk of CAD and to evaluate their potential interactions. A total of 237 patients with CAD and 101 controls were genotyped. The association of the polymorphism with the risk of CAD varied among the ethnic groups. Moreover, the concomitant presence of both CETP B1 and eNOS 4a alleles significantly increased the risk of CAD in the Malay group (OR = 33.8, P < .001) and the Indian group (OR = 10.9, P = .031) but not in the Chinese group. This study has identified a novel ethnic-specific gene-gene interaction and suggested that the combination of CETP B1 allele and eNOS 4a allele significantly increases the risk of CAD in Malays and Indians.

Summary written by cetpinhibition.org from the published abstract; figures as published. Page updated 19 August 2026. Methods.