Linkage of human apolipoproteins A-I and C-III genes

It has recently been suggested that polymorphisms in the human apolipoprotein A-I (apo A-I) gene locus may be related to the development of premature atherosclerosis and hypertriglyceridaemia. To understand if and how these polymorphisms affect apo A-I gene expression, we studied the genomic sequences flanking the apo A-I gene. Here we show the presence of another apolipoprotein gene, apolipoprotein C-III (apo C-III), approximately 2.6 kilobases (kb) downstream of the 3' end of the apo A-I gene. We also show that the apo A-I and apo C-III genes are convergently transcribed and that a polymorphism previously reported to be associated with hypertriglyceridaemia may be due to a single base pair substitution in the 3'-noncoding region of apo C-III mRNA.