Association of ATP-Binding Cassette Transporter G1 Polymorphisms with Risk of Ischemic Stroke in the Chinese Han Population

Abstract

Background: The adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-binding cassette transporter G1 (ABCG1), a member of the superfamily of ATP-binding cassette transporters, is involved in the transport of cholesterol and phospholipids in macrophages. As such, ABCG1 plays a crucial role in the development of atherosclerosis in humans. In this study, we investigate the association between ABCG1 polymorphisms and the risk of developing ischemic stroke in a Chinese Han population.

Methods: This case-control study included 389 ischemic stroke patients and 380 healthy subjects. ABCG1 rs1378577 and rs57137919 polymorphisms were analyzed by a polymerase chain reaction-ligation detection reaction.

Results: We found that the genotypic distribution and allelic frequency of these polymorphisms were similar in patients and controls. In a subgroup with hypertriglyceridemia (144 patients and 115 controls), the frequency of rs1378577 GG genotype and G allele as well as rs57137919 AA genotype was lower in the patient group compared with that in the control group (P = .018, P = .035, and P = .023, respectively). Logistic regression analysis revealed a reduced risk of ischemic stroke in a recessive model for both rs1378577 and rs57137919. Subtype analyses demonstrated that rs1378577 TG and GG genotypes and the G allele were associated with reduced risk of atherothrombotic stroke (P = .030, P = .006, and P = .004, respectively), even after adjusting for confounding factors in a dominant model.

Conclusions: Data from the present study demonstrate that ABCG1 polymorphisms are associated with reduced risk of developing ischemic stroke in hypertriglyceridemic population and atherothrombotic stroke in this cohort of Chinese Han population.

Keywords: ABCG1; gene polymorphism; ischemic stroke; prediction of disease risk.