Published in:
01-02-2012 | Original Paper
Polymorphic variation in choline transporter gene (CHT1) is associated with early, subclinical measures of carotid atherosclerosis in humans
Authors:
Serina A. Neumann, Katherine J. Linder, Matthew F. Muldoon, Kimberly Sutton-Tyrrell, Christopher Kline, Catherine J. Shrader, Elizabeth C. Lawrence, Robert E. Ferrell, Stephen B. Manuck
Published in:
The International Journal of Cardiovascular Imaging
|
Issue 2/2012
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Abstract
Atherosclerosis is a heritable trait with little known about specific genetic influences on preclinical measures of plaque formation. Based on relations of parasympathetic-cholinergic function to atherosclerosis and to a choline transporter gene [CHT1 (G/T)] polymorphism, we investigated whether the same allelic variant predicts variation in carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and plaque formation. Carotid IMT and plaque occurrence as well as genotyping for the CHT1 (G/T) variant were measured in a sample (N = 264) of generally healthy adults (age 30–55) of European ancestry. CHT1 GG homozygotes had greater IMT (P < 0.005) and plaque occurrence (P < 0.020) than T allele carriers. This is the first study showing polymorphic variation in the CHT1 gene to predict early, subclinical measures of carotid atherosclerosis which may aid in understanding cholinergic-vagal processes potentially underlying atherosclerotic risk.