S447X Polymorphism in the Lipoprotein Lipase Gene and the Adiponectin Level in the General Population: Results from the Mima Study

AIM: Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) plays an important role in lipid metabolism. There is an association between the common S447X polymorphism in the LPL gene and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels, and some association between circulating HDL-C and adiponectin levels has been suggested; however, it is not known whether there is any association between the S447X polymorphism and adiponectin levels. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the LPL S447X polymorphism was associated with adiponectin in the general population. METHODS: LPL S447X was analyzed in 277 community-dwelling subjects (123 men and 154 women, mean age; 65+/-13 years) in the Mima study. Whole samples were genotyped using a fluorescent allele-specific DNA primer assay system. The allele frequencies and any associations with serum lipid and adiponectin levels were investigated. RESULTS: The allele frequencies were S=0.875 and X=0.125 for the LPL S447X polymorphism. The carriers of the X allele had significantly higher levels of adiponectin and HDL-C than non-carriers. The presence of the X allele was significantly associated with higher adiponectin levels, independent of age, sex, body mass index, smoking and HDL-C in multiple regression analyses. CONCLUSION: The LPL S447X polymorphism might therefore be significantly associated with higher adiponectin levels, independent of HDL-C.