Genetics
CETP variant rs3764261 is one of four risk alleles linked to lower HDL cholesterol in pregnant Chinese women (Oncotarget 2017)
Original title: HDL-cholesterol concentration in pregnant Chinese Han women of late second trimester associated with genetic variants in CETP, ABCA1, APOC3, and GALNT2
This study investigated whether HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) level in 1,884 pregnant Chinese Han women in the late second trimester correlated with seven single-nucleotide polymorphisms in HDL-C-related genes previously identified by genome-wide association studies, genotyped using the Sequenom MassArray system. After adjusting for age, gestational week, pre-pregnancy BMI, and gestational diabetes or insulin resistance status, four polymorphisms were significantly associated with HDL-C level: CETP rs3764261 (beta -0.055 mmol/L, 95% CI -0.101 to -0.008, p=0.021), ABCA1 rs1883025 (beta -0.054 mmol/L, p=0.013), APOC3 rs4225 (beta -0.071 mmol/L, p=1.79E-3), and GALNT2 rs16851339 (beta -0.064 mmol/L, p=0.025). The more risk alleles a woman carried, the lower her plasma HDL-C level, indicating the risk loci contribute additively to low HDL-C in this population.
Original abstract
Objective: To investigate whether HDL-C level in pregnant Chinese Han women of late second trimester correlated with loci in high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C)-related genes found in genome-wide association studies (GWAS).
Methods: Seven single-nucleotide polymorphisms (rs3764261 in CETP, rs1532085 in LIPC, rs7241918 in LIPG, rs1883025 in ABCA1, rs4225 in APOC3, rs1059611 in LPL, and rs16851339 in GALNT2) were genotyped using the Sequenom MassArray system for 1,884 pregnant women.
Results: The following polymorphisms were statistically associated with HDL-C level after adjusting for age, gestational week, pre-pregnancy BMI and state of GDM or HOMAIR: (i) rs3764261 (b = -0.055 mmol/L, 95% CI -0.101 to -0.008, p = 0.021), (ii) rs1883025 (b = -0.054 mmol/L, 95% CI -0.097 to -0.012, p = 0.013), (iii) rs4225 (b = -0.071 mmol/L, 95% CI -0.116 to -0.027, p = 1.79E-3) and (iv) rs16851339 (b = -0.064 mmol/L, 95% CI -0.120 to -0.008, p = 0.025). The more risk alleles the pregnant women have, the lower the plasma HDL-C levels of the subjects are.
Conclusions: Several risk alleles found to be related to HDL-C in GWAS are also associated with HDL-C levels in pregnant Chinese Han women and these risk loci contribute additively to low HDL-C levels.
Summary written by cetpinhibition.org from the published abstract; figures as published. Page updated 19 August 2026. Methods.