Common and Low-Frequency Genetic Variants in the PCSK9 Locus Influence Circulating PCSK9 Levels

• Published in: Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology Vol. 32; no. 6; pp. 1526 - 1534
• Main Authors: Chernogubova, Ekaterina, Strawbridge, Rona, Mahdessian, Hovsep, Mälarstig, Anders, Krapivner, Sergey, Gigante, Bruna, Hellénius, Mai-Lis, de Faire, Ulf, Franco-Cereceda, Anders, Syvänen, Ann-Christine, Troutt, Jason S, Konrad, Robert J, Eriksson, Per, Hamsten, Anders, van ’t Hooft, Ferdinand M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia, PA American Heart Association, Inc 01-06-2012; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Atherosclerosis (general aspects, experimental research); Biological and medical sciences; Biomarkers - blood; Blood and lymphatic vessels; Blood Glucose - analysis; Blood. Blood coagulation. Reticuloendothelial system; Cardiology. Vascular system; Cholesterol, LDL - blood; Cohort Studies; dense mapping; Diseases of the peripheral vessels. Diseases of the vena cava. Miscellaneous; Female; Fibrinogen - analysis; Gene Frequency; genetic variants; Genome-Wide Association Study; Genotype; Humans; Insulin - blood; Linkage Disequilibrium; Liver - chemistry; low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; Male; Medical sciences; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Middle Aged; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Phenotype; Polymorphism, Genetic; Proprotein Convertase 9; proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9; Proprotein Convertases - blood; Proprotein Convertases - genetics; Reference Values; RNA, Messenger - analysis; Serine Endopeptidases - blood; Serine Endopeptidases - genetics; Sweden; Triglycerides - blood; Cartography; proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9; Genetic variant; low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; Lipids; Cardiovascular disease; Lipoprotein; Low frequency; Cholesterol; Vascular disease; genetic variants; dense mapping; Atherosclerosis; genome-wide association study; Genome; Locus
• ISSN: 1079-5642; 1524-4636; 1524-4636
• DOI: 10.1161/ATVBAHA.111.240549

OBJECTIVE —Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) is a circulating protein that influences plasma low-density lipoprotein concentration and susceptibility to coronary heart disease. Circulating PCSK9 levels show considerable interindividual differences, but the factors responsible for this variation are largely unknown.
METHODS AND RESULTS—We analyzed circulating PCSK9 levels in 4 cohorts of healthy, middle-aged Swedes (n=5722) and found that PCSK9 levels varied over ≈50-fold range, showed a positive relationship with plasma low-density lipoprotein–cholesterol concentration, and were associated with plasma triglyceride, fibrinogen, insulin, and glucose concentrations. A genome-wide association study conducted in 2 cohorts (n=1215) failed to uncover common genetic variants robustly associated with variation in circulating PCSK9 level. As expected, the minor allele of the PCSK9 R46L variant was in all cohorts associated with reduced PCSK9 levels and decreased plasma low-density lipoprotein–cholesterol concentrations, but no relationship was observed with the plasma triglyceride concentration. Further mapping of the PCSK9 locus revealed a common polymorphism (rs2479415, minor allele frequency 43.9%), located ≈6 kb upstream from PCSK9, which is independently associated with increased circulating PCSK9 levels.
CONCLUSION—Common and low-frequency genetic variants in the PCSK9 locus influence the pronounced interindividual variation in circulating PCSK9 levels in healthy, middle-aged white (predominantly Swedish) subjects.