Joint Influence of SNPs and DNA Methylation on Lipids in African Americans From Hypertensive Sibships

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Michelle L. Wright, Emory University; Erin B. Ware, University of Michigan; Jennifer A. Smith, University of Michigan; Sharon L. R. Kardia, University of Michigan; Jacquelyn Y. Taylor, New York University
• Language: English
• Date: 2018-03-01
• Publisher: SAGE Publications (UK and US)
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © The Author(s) 2018.
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1099800417752246
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Biological Research For Nursing
• ISSN: 1099-8004
• Volume: 20
• Issue: 2
• Start Page: 161
• End Page: 167
• Grant/Funding Information: The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: Support for the Genetic Epidemiology Network of Arteriopathy (GENOA) was provided by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (HL054457, HL100185, HL 087660, HL119443, and HL133221); additional support for this project was provided by the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR), R01NR013520.
• Keywords: African Americans; lipids; PREVALENCE; GENOA; MICROARRAY; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; Science & Technology; cholesterol; genetic research; Nursing; DNA methylation
• Research Categories: Biology, Genetics; Health Sciences, Public Health

Abstract

Introduction: Plasma concentrations of lipids (i.e., total cholesterol, high-density cholesterol, low-density cholesterol, and triglycerides) are amenable to therapeutic intervention and remain important factors for assessing risk of cardiovascular diseases. Some of the observed variability in serum lipid concentrations has been associated with genetic and epigenetic variants among cohorts with European ancestry (EA). Serum lipid levels have also been associated with genetic variants in multiethnic populations. Methods: The purpose of this study was to determine whether single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and DNA methylation (DNAm) differences contribute to lipid variation among African Americans ([AAs], N = 739) in the Genetic Epidemiology Network of Arteriopathy (GENOA) study. Results: Previous meta-analyses identified 161 SNPs that are associated with lipid traits in populations of EA. We evaluated these SNPs and 66 DNAm sites within the genes containing the SNPs in the GENOA cohort using linear mixed-effects modeling. We did not identify any significant associations of SNPs or DNAm with serum lipid levels. These results suggest that the SNPs identified as being significant for lipid levels through the EA genome-wide association studies may not be significant across AA populations. Conclusions: Reductions in morbidity and mortality due to variation in lipids among AAs may be achieved through a better understanding of the genetic and epigenetic factors associated with serum lipid levels for early and appropriate screening. Further large-scale studies specifically within AA and other non-EA populations are warranted.