Genome-wide linkage in Utah autism pedigrees.

Genetic studies of autism over the past decade suggest a complex landscape of multiple genes. In the face of this heterogeneity, studies that include large extended pedigrees may offer valuable insights, as the relatively few susceptibility genes within single large families may be more easily discerned. This genome-wide screen of 70 families includes 20 large extended pedigrees of 6-9 generations, 6 moderate-sized families of 4-5 generations and 44 smaller families of 2-3 generations. The Center for Inherited Disease Research (CIDR) provided genotyping using the Illumina Linkage Panel 12, a 6K single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) platform. Results from 192 subjects with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and 461 of their relatives revealed genome-wide significance on chromosome 15q, with three possibly distinct peaks: 15q13.1-q14 (heterogeneity LOD (HLOD)=4.09 at 29 459 872 bp); 15q14-q21.1 (HLOD=3.59 at 36 837 208 bp); and 15q21.1-q22.2 (HLOD=5.31 at 55 629 733 bp). Two of these peaks replicate earlier findings. There were additional suggestive results on chromosomes 2p25.3-p24.1 (HLOD=1.87), 7q31.31-q32.3 (HLOD=1.97) and 13q12.11-q12.3 (HLOD=1.93). Affected subjects in families supporting the linkage peaks found in this study did not reveal strong evidence for distinct phenotypic subgroups.

Mutations in an S4 segment of the adult skeletal muscle sodium channel cause paramyotonia congenita.

The periodic paralyses are a group of autosomal dominant muscle diseases sharing a common feature of episodic paralysis. In one form, paramyotonia congenita (PC), the paralysis usually occurs with muscle cooling. Electrophysiologic studies of muscle from PC patients have revealed temperature-dependent alterations in sodium channel (NaCh) function. This observation led to demonstration of genetic linkage of a skeletal muscle NaCh gene to a PC disease allele. We now report the use of the single-strand conformation polymorphism technique to define alleles specific to PC patients from three families. Sequencing of these alleles defined base pair changes within the same codon, which resulted in two distinct amino acid substitutions for a highly conserved arginine residue in the S4 helix of domain 4 in the adult skeletal muscle NaCh. These data establish the chromosome 17q NaCh locus as the PC gene and represent two mutations causing the distinctive, temperature-sensitive PC phenotype.

Variants in the 5q31 cytokine gene cluster are associated with psoriasis.

A multitiered genetic association study of 25 215 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in three case-control sample sets (1446 patients and 1432 controls) identified three IL13-linked SNPs (rs1800925, rs20541 and rs848) associated with psoriasis. Although the susceptibility effects at these SNPs were modest (joint allelic odds ratios (ORs): 0.76 to 0.78; P(comb): 1.3E-03 to 2.50E-04), the association patterns were consistent across the sample sets, with the minor alleles being protective. Haplotype analyses identified one common, susceptible haplotype CCG (joint allelic OR=1.27; P(comb)=1.88E-04) and a less common, protective haplotype TTT (joint allelic OR=0.74; P(comb)=7.05E-04). In combination with the other known genetic risk factors, HLA-C, IL12B and IL23R, the variants reported here generate an 11-fold psoriasis-risk differential. Residing in the 5q31 cytokine gene cluster, IL13 encodes an important T-cell-derived cytokine that regulates cell-mediated immunity. These results provide the foundation for additional studies required to fully dissect the associations within this cytokine-rich genomic region, as polymorphisms in closely linked candidate genes, such as IRF1, IL5 or IL4, may be driving these results through linkage disequilibrium.

Detailed genetic characterization of the interleukin-23 receptor in psoriasis.

Using a multi-tiered, case-control association design, scanning 25 215 gene-centric SNPs, we previously identified two psoriasis susceptibility genes: IL12B and IL23R. These results have recently been confirmed. To better characterize the IL23R psoriasis-association, we used a fine mapping strategy to identify 59 additional IL23R-linked SNPs, which were genotyped in our three independent, white North American sample sets (>2800 individuals in toto). A sliding window of haplotype association demonstrates colocalization of psoriasis susceptibility effects within the boundaries of IL23R across all sample sets, thereby decreasing the likelihood that neighboring genes, particularly IL12RB2, are driving the association at this region. Additional haplotype work identified two 5-SNP haplotypes with strong protective effects, consistent across our three sample sets (OR(common)=0.67; P(comb)=4.32E-07). Importantly, heterogeneity of effect was extremely low between sample sets for these haplotypes (P(Het)=0.961). Together, these protective haplotypes attain a frequency of 16% in controls, declining to 11% in cases. The characterization of association patterns within IL23R to specific predisposing/protective variants will play an important role in the elucidation of psoriasis etiology and other related phenotypes. Further, this work is essential to lay the foundation for the role of IL23R genetics in response to pharmaceutical therapy and dosage.

Multivariate characterization of white matter heterogeneity in autism spectrum disorder.

The complexity and heterogeneity of neuroimaging findings in individuals with autism spectrum disorder has suggested that many of the underlying alterations are subtle and involve many brain regions and networks. The ability to account for multivariate brain features and identify neuroimaging measures that can be used to characterize individual variation have thus become increasingly important for interpreting and understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of autism. In the present study, we utilize the Mahalanobis distance, a multidimensional counterpart of the Euclidean distance, as an informative index to characterize individual brain variation and deviation in autism. Longitudinal diffusion tensor imaging data from 149 participants (92 diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and 57 typically developing controls) between 3.1 and 36.83 years of age were acquired over a roughly 10-year period and used to construct the Mahalanobis distance from regional measures of white matter microstructure. Mahalanobis distances were significantly greater and more variable in the autistic individuals as compared to control participants, demonstrating increased atypicalities and variation in the group of individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Distributions of multivariate measures were also found to provide greater discrimination and more sensitive delineation between autistic and typically developing individuals than conventional univariate measures, while also being significantly associated with observed traits of the autism group. These results help substantiate autism as a truly heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorder, while also suggesting that collectively considering neuroimaging measures from multiple brain regions provides improved insight into the diversity of brain measures in autism that is not observed when considering the same regions separately. Distinguishing multidimensional brain relationships may thus be informative for identifying neuroimaging-based phenotypes, as well as help elucidate underlying neural mechanisms of brain variation in autism spectrum disorders.

The inducible prostaglandin biosynthetic enzyme, cyclooxygenase 2, is not mutated in patients with attenuated adenomatous polyposis coli.

Germ-line mutations in the APC gene cause adenomatous polyposis coli (APC), a syndrome in which patients develop hundreds to thousands of precancerous adenomatous colorectal polyps. We described previously an attenuated form of APC (AAPC) resulting from very 5' mutations in APC in which affected patients exhibit fewer colorectal polyps and a later age of onset of colorectal cancer. However, because striking variations in colorectal polyp numbers occur among patients carrying identical AAPC mutations, alleles of another gene may modify the expression of the APC disease phenotype. We tested the hypothesis that loss of function of human cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2), known to modify the APC phenotype in the Apc delta716 mouse, results in a decreased tumor burden in AAPC patients that develop very few colorectal polyps. Genomic DNA sequence analysis of human COX-2 revealed a silent mutation in exon 3 that was evenly distributed between two classes of patients with AAPC, those with small or large numbers of colorectal polyps. We also found no difference in levels of COX-2 mRNA in transformed blood lymphocytes among AAPC patients of either class or patients with classical APC, and no alterations that correlated with a lesser or greater number of colorectal polyps were detectable within approximately the first 1 kb of the promoter sequence. Therefore, mutation of the human COX-2 gene does not appear to be responsible for a low tumor burden among AAPC subjects.

Three secretory phospholipase A(2) genes that map to human chromosome 1P35-36 are not mutated in individuals with attenuated adenomatous polyposis coli.

Mutation of Pla2g2a, a secretory phospholipase A(2) gene, dramatically increases the number of intestinal polyps that develop in the multiple intestinal neoplasia (Min) mouse, a murine model for adenomatous polyposis coli in humans. We tested the hypothesis that mutation of the human homologue(s) of this gene might be responsible for the more severe phenotype (hundreds of polyps) seen in a subset of individuals with attenuated adenomatous polyposis coli (AAPC). DNA sequence analysis demonstrated that alterations of PLA2G2A, as well as related genes PLA2G2C and PLA2G5, were evenly distributed between three classes of AAPC subjects: those with small, intermediate, and large numbers of adenomatous colonic polyps. Among 67 additional unrelated AAPC subjects, a stop mutation in PLA2G2C did not correlate with an increased burden of adenomatous polyps. Therefore, mutation of the human homologue(s) of murine Pla2g2a does not appear to be responsible for phenotypic variation among subjects with AAPC.

Linkage studies of NIDDM with 23 chromosome 11 markers in a sample of whites of northern European descent.

Considerable data support a genetic basis to susceptibility for NIDDM, but previous analysis of candidate genes has failed to identify a major susceptibility locus. Among regions with multiple potential candidates is chromosome 11, which includes the apolipoprotein C3 cluster, muscle glycogen phosphorylase, two insulin-dependent diabetes loci, the sulfonylurea receptor, and ataxia telangiectasia. To test linkage, we initially typed 19 markers at 10- to 15-cM intervals along chromosome 11. Analyses carried out under parametric models in members of 16-19 families of northern European ancestry detected possible linkage of NIDDM to D11S916. Nonparametric methods detected possible linkage to NIDDM at D11S901, which was 5- 10 cM distant, and at D11S935, which was approximately 30 cM distant. Both D11S916 and D11S901 were near the IDDM4 locus. To further test linkage, we typed five additional markers within 5 cM of D11S916 in the initial 19 families. We also tested markers from the linked region in a second set of recently sampled additional families. Two additional markers (D11S527 and D11S534) showed possible linkage in the initial 19 families, but none of the markers were linked to NIDDM in a separate set of families from the same ethnic background. The best evidence for linkage in the combined data set of the initial 19 families and 26 additional families was at D11S534 under parametric analysis (Z = 1.20) and at D11S935 under nonparametric analysis (affected pedigree number, P = 0.0013). Our findings suggest marginal evidence for a diabetes susceptibility locus in the region between D11S901 and D11S935, with the best evidence for a locus at or near D11S935. Replication of these findings in other populations will be necessary to distinguish false-positive linkage from a true NIDDM susceptibility locus.

A genome-wide search for type 2 diabetes susceptibility genes in Utah Caucasians.

Considerable evidence supports a major inherited component of type 2 diabetes. We initially conducted a genome-wide scan with 440 microsatellite markers at 10-cM intervals in 19 multigenerational families of Northern European ancestry with at least two diabetic siblings. Initial two-point analyses of these families directed marker typing of 23 additional families. Subsequently, all available marker data on the total of 42 families were analyzed using both parametric and nonparametric multipoint methods to test for linkage to type 2 diabetes. One locus on chromosome 1q21-1q23 met genome-wide criteria for significant linkage under a model of recessive inheritance with a common diabetes allele (logarithm of odds [LOD] = 4.295). Both pedigree-based nonparametric linkage (NPL) analysis and affected sib pair (MAPMAKER/SIBS) nonparametric methods also showed the highest genome-wide scores at this region, near markers CRP and APOA2, but failed to meet levels of genome-wide significance. The risk of type 2 diabetes to siblings of a diabetic person when compared with the population (lambdaS) was estimated from MAPMAKER/SIBS to be 2.8 in these 42 families. Simulation studies using study data confirmed a genome-wide significance level of P<0.05 (95% CI 0.005-0.0466). However, analysis of 20 similarly ascertained but smaller families failed to confirm this linkage. The LOD score with 50% heterogeneity for all 62 families considered together was only 2.25, with an estimated lambdaS of 1.87. Our data suggest a novel diabetes susceptibility locus near APOA2 on chromosome 1 in a region with many transcribed genes.

Linkage analysis of 19 candidate regions for insulin resistance in familial NIDDM.

As part of an ongoing search for diabetes susceptibility loci, we tested linkage with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) for 19 candidate loci or regions chosen for their potential to affect directly or indirectly the action of insulin. Loci were associated with insulin resistance, known effects on lipid metabolism, or effects on glucose metabolism or insulin action. Loci included the insulin-responsive (GLUT4) glucose transporter, hexokinase 2, glucagon, growth hormone, insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1), phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, hepatic and muscle forms of pyruvate kinase, hepatic phosphofructokinase, the apolipoprotein B and the apolipoprotein A2 cluster, lipoprotein lipase, hepatic triglyceride lipase, the very-low-density-lipoprotein receptor, and the Pima insulin resistance locus on chromosome 4. For several candidates, no specific informative marker was available; consequently, we tested the surrounding region with highly informative markers. These regions included the diabetes-associated ras-like gene, rad, and the cholesterol ester-transfer gene, both mapped to chromosome 16. Additionally, we tested for linkage with markers at the tumor necrosis factor-alpha gene and the Friedreich's ataxia region. All regions were tested for linkage with microsatellite polymorphisms in > 450 individuals from a minimum of 16 Caucasian families under parametric (LINKAGE 5.1) and nonparametric (affected pedigree member) models.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Genome-wide linkage analysis of lipids in the Hypertension Genetic Epidemiology Network (HyperGEN) Blood Pressure Study.

Full genome scans were performed for quantitative lipid measurements in 622 African American and 649 white sibling pairs not taking lipid-lowering medications who were ascertained through the Hypertension Genetic Epidemiology Network (HyperGEN) of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Family Blood Pressure Program. Genotypes for 391 markers spaced roughly equally throughout the genome were typed by the NHLBI Mammalian Genotyping Service. Each of the phenotypes was adjusted for covariates within sex and race and then subjected to variance components linkage analysis, which was performed separately within race by using race-specific marker allele frequencies from additional random samples. The highest lod score detected was 2.77 for logarithmically transformed triglyceride (TG) on chromosome 20 (at 28.6 cM) in the African American sibling pairs. The highest score detected in the white sibling pairs was 2.74 for high density lipoprotein cholesterol on chromosome 5 (at 48.2 cM). Although no scores >3.0 were obtained, positive scores were found in several regions that have been reported in other genome scans in the literature. For example, a score of 1.91 for TG was found on chromosome 15 (at 28.8 cM) in white sibling pairs. This score overlaps the positive findings for TG in 2 other genome scans.

Replication of linkage of familial combined hyperlipidemia to chromosome 1q with additional heterogeneous effect of apolipoprotein A-I/C-III/A-IV locus. The NHLBI Family Heart Study.

Familial combined hyperlipidemia (FCHL), the most common familial dyslipidemia, is implicated in up to 20% of cases of premature coronary heart disease. Although underlying mutations for FCHL have yet to be identified, several candidate genes/regions have been identified. A positive linkage to chromosome 1q markers has been reported, with the highest lod score of 5.93 occurring at a location between D1S104 and D1S1677. Using the same diagnostic criteria, the Family Heart Study (FHS) has defined 71 FCHL families, comprising 170 cases, for a total of 137 possible affected sibling pairs. The FCHL criteria require elevation in serum low density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride levels within the family, with at least 2 affected first-degree relatives. Markers D1S104 and D1S1677 were typed, and significant allele sharing was found in FCHL sibships (multipoint lod score with use of the model from the Finnish study was 2.52, and multipoint nonparametric score was 2.48; P=0.007), replicating linkage in this chromosome 1 region. In addition, previously reported linkage of FCHL to apolipoprotein A-I/C-III/A-IV has been investigated in FHS families. FHS results revealed positive but nonsignificant allele sharing among FCHL sibships with apolipoprotein A-I/C-III/A-IV by use of marker D11S4127 (nonparametric linkage score 1.11, P=0.13). Two-locus analyses of D1S104 and D11S4127 suggested possible heterogeneity rather than epistasis, with a maximum 2-locus lod score of 3.05. A nonparametric 2-locus analysis revealed significant improvement in the 2-locus versus single-locus scores. Finally, no linkage was found with markers near the lipoprotein lipase gene region.

Localization to chromosome 11 of a gene encoding a human minor histocompatibility antigen.

The graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) seen in human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-matched sibling bone marrow transplants is by definition due to the "minor" histocompatibility antigens (mHAs) encoded outside the HLA region of human chromosome 6. Few of these antigens have been characterized in humans, and in general the locations of the encoding loci are unknown. Genetic experiments performed in mice have identified many mHAs, but only a few genes have been identified. Using T lymphocyte clones reactive with specific mHAs, combined with genetic linkage analysis, we identified two distinct loci in a single patient, each locus encoding an antigen presented to a T cell clone by HLA-B7. The technique used in this study should allow a rough enumeration of the number of mHAs in humans that are capable of eliciting T cell responses in vivo. Whether these T cell responses correlate with clinical GVHD is not yet clear.

Genetic linkage analysis in familial benign hypercalcemia using a candidate gene strategy. I. Studies in four families.

Despite extensive study since the first report of familial benign hypercalcemia (FBH, or hypocalciuric hypercalcemia) in 1972, there is no evidence of the specific abnormal gene product. FBH is highly suitable for either a candidate gene or a reverse genetics approach to localizing the genetic abnormality, because it is inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern, is highly penetrant, does not affect survival, and can be diagnosed in families with readily available measurements. Importantly, several candidate genes have been cloned and mapped. Therefore, we collected blood samples and extracted leukocyte DNA from 94 members of 4 families with well documented FBH (44 affected, 45 unaffected, and 5 unclassifiable). We digested the DNA samples with various restriction endonucleases, conducted standard Southern blotting, and searched for restriction fragment length polymorphisms for the following candidate genes (probe names in parentheses): multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) type 1 (pMCMP.1, pHBI59, p3C7, and pTHH26), MEN 2a (MCK2 and cTB14.34), basic fibroblast growth factor (pHFL1-7), (Ca2+,Mg2+)ATPase isoform 4 (hPMCA4), membrane Na/Ca exchanger (cNC28 M-A), PTH (pPTH-LF), and calbindin-D28K (pSKCalb). In addition, we used the anonymous variable number tandem repeat marker pYNH24 to verify pedigree structures by excluding misinheritances. Data were analyzed using the Linkage program. For none of the genes was there significant linkage with the FBH trait; logarithm of odds scores ranged from -1.3 to -26.0 at a recombination fraction of 0.001, and from 0.6 to -5.6 at a recombination fraction of 0.10. We conclude that FBH is unrelated to the MEN syndromes and is not caused by mutations in any of the calcium-regulating or -binding proteins or growth factors studied thus far.

Role of the beta 3-adrenergic receptor locus in obesity and noninsulin-dependent diabetes among members of Caucasian families with a diabetic sibling pair.

Obesity and insulin resistance are important risk factors for the development of noninsulin-dependent diabetes (NIDDM) and are prevalent among predisposed first degree relatives of diabetic individuals. Recent molecular screening and analysis of a common missense mutation of the beta 3-adrenergic receptor gene suggested this locus as a strong candidate for increased obesity, earlier age of diabetes onset, and insulin resistance. To test the hypothesis that the beta 3-adrenergic receptor locus affects diabetes susceptibility, obesity as measured by body mass index, and components of the insulin resistance syndrome, we examined the role of this region in families ascertained for two or more NIDDM siblings. Linkage analysis was conducted using both parametric and nonparametric analyses, including multipoint sibling pair analysis. We found no evidence for linkage to NIDDM as a dichotomous trait and no evidence for linkage to body mass index, waist/hip ratio, insulin levels, or glucose levels as quantitative traits or to reported age of onset among NIDDM individuals. The Trp64 Arg missense mutation was present in 11% of the population. The mutation was not associated with NIDDM, and Arg64 carriers did not have earlier NIDDM onset, higher body mass index, or higher waist/hip ratio than Trp64 homozygotes. Among relatives, Arg64 carriers had significantly lower fasting glucose levels and lower waist/hip ratios than Trp64 homozygotes, but no characteristics of the insulin resistance syndrome. We conclude that the beta 3-adrenergic receptor locus does not play an important role in NIDDM susceptibility or in the insulin resistance syndrome among members of families with a strong predisposition to NIDDM.

Clustered inactivating mutations and benign polymorphisms of the calcium receptor gene in familial benign hypocalciuric hypercalcemia suggest receptor functional domains.

The predominant variety of familial benign hypocalciuric hypercalcemia (FBHH) is FBHH(3q), which is associated with presumed inactivating mutations of the cell surface calcium receptor (CaR) gene on chromosome 3q13.3-q21. We sought mutations of the CaR gene in FBHH by direct sequencing of PCR-amplified genomic DNA from 14 affected families: 8 mapped to 3q13, 1 mapped to chromosome 19p, and 5 unmapped. We sequenced the entire coding region of the gene (exons 2-7) in one or two affected members of each family and found six point mutations that altered one amino acid, cosegregated with hypercalcemia, and were absent in more than 100 unaffected persons. Four mutations were unique (S53P, D215G, S657Y, and P748R), and two had been reported previously (P55L and R185Q). Of four mutant CaR proteins expressed in Xenopus oocytes, three were deficient in extracellular Ca2+-induced signaling. No CaR mutations were found in eight families, including the one mapped to chromosome 19p. Three benign polymorphisms occurred in the COOH-terminal region of the CaR protein in 10%, 15%, and 30% of more than 100 unaffected persons. Thus, FBHH-causing CaR mutations were clustered in the NH2-terminal extracellular and membrane-spanning regions of the receptor protein. We suggest that these are important functional domains, probably for calcium binding and signal transduction, respectively. Finally, mutations in regulatory or intronic regions of the CaR gene may also underlie many cases of FBHH.

Evidence of genetic heterogeneity among the nondystrophic myotonias.

Recent in vitro electrophysiologic studies have demonstrated abnormal sodium channel gating in muscle from patients with Thomsen's disease and have called the chloride hypothesis into question. Abnormal sodium channel function, like myotonia, is a feature common to Thomsen's disease and several myotonias that are genetically linked to a chromosome-17q sodium channel locus. We present a pedigree segregating an allele for Thomsen's disease that is unlinked to this sodium channel locus, thus constituting evidence of genetic heterogeneity among the nondystrophic myotonias.

Genetic characterization of a large, historically significant Utah kindred with facioscapulohumeral dystrophy.

In 1950, Tyler and Stephens reported a remarkable kindred affected with facioscapulohumeral dystrophy (FSHD), consisting of 1249 descendants of a man who emigrated to Utah in 1840. Members of this kindred are still seen in our clinic and, to our knowledge, no member had been tested for deletions at the FSHD1A locus on chromosome 4q35, the common chromosomal rearrangement associated with FSHD. We have identified 971 additional members of this kindred who either were not included in or unborn at the time of the report by Tyler and Stephens, and have identified 120 living members as affected by history or by examination. Members of this kindred contribute to a disease prevalence of nearly 1:15 000 in the Utah/southern Idaho region. We have demonstrated that affected members carry a disease-associated 20 kb deletion allele at the FSHD1A locus. This allele is the same size in multiple, distantly-related branches of the kindred, confirming the meiotic stability of the FSHD1A deletion. This large, genetically homogeneous population of patients represents a unique resource with which to study current questions about FSHD, including the possibilities of anticipation and parental transmission effects.

Evaluation of heterodimeric guanylyl cyclase genes as candidates for human hypertension.

OBJECTIVE: Both physiologic and pharmacological data have implicated the nitric oxide (NO) signaling cascade in the regulation of blood pressure in humans and its impairment in the pathogenesis of hypertension. In biological systems, the principal receptor for NO is NO-stimulated guanylyl cyclase. NO-stimulated guanylyl cyclases are obligate heterodimers (alpha/beta). The genes for guanylyl cyclase subunits alpha1, beta, and beta2 are likely candidates for causing hypertension in the Dahl rat as their expression is altered and their gene loci are closely linked to known quantitative trait loci for blood pressure in Dahl rat crosses. The objective of the current study was to test whether markers near guanylyl cyclase subunit genes were linked to hypertension in Caucasians. DESIGN: To test for linkage of genetic markers in or near the guanylyl cyclase genes to hypertension in Caucasians, a sample of 124 Utah hypertensive sib pairs was genotyped. RESULTS: Four highly polymorphic markers in or near the human guanylyl cyclase subunits homologous to the rat alpha1 (human chromosome 8), rat beta1 (human chromosome 4), and rat beta2 (human chromosome 13) genes showed no evidence of excess allele sharing in the set of hypertensive sibships. CONCLUSION: We conclude that the heterodimeric guanylyl cyclase subunit loci do not appear to be linked to hypertension in Caucasians.

No linkage of the lipoprotein lipase locus to hypertension in Caucasians.

OBJECTIVE: A previous study has shown significant linkage of five markers near the lipoprotein lipase locus to systolic blood pressure, but not to diastolic blood pressure, in nondiabetic members of 48 Taiwanese families selected for noninsulin-dependent diabetes. However, lipoprotein lipase markers did not appear strongly linked to systolic blood pressure in a study of Mexican-Americans using a variety of selection schemes. The objective of the current study was to test whether markers near the lipoprotein lipase gene were linked to hypertension in Caucasians. DESIGN: To test for linkage of genetic markers in or near the lipoprotein lipase gene to hypertension in Caucasians, two sets of Caucasian hypertensive sibships were genotyped. The samples included 261 sibships (431 effective sibpairs) from four field centers of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Family Heart Study and 211 sibships (282 effective sibpairs) from the Health Family Tree database in Utah. RESULTS: Two highly polymorphic markers in or near the lipoprotein lipase gene showed no evidence of excess allele sharing in either set of hypertensive sibships. Combining the two datasets resulted in 653 and 713 effective sibpairs for the two markers, sharing 0.495 +/- 0.30 and 0.486 +/- 0.28 alleles identical by descent compared to an expected sharing of 0.50. Multipoint analysis of the two loci also did not show linkage (P = 0.95). CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the lipoprotein lipase locus and nearby regions do not appear to be linked to hypertension in Caucasians.