Genetic polymorphism of apolipoprotein E in Caucasian alcoholic cirrhotics

Steatosis is the most common although inconstant hepatic lesion induced by chronic alcohol consumption. Alcoholic cirrhosis is found in only 20 to 30% of chronic alcohol misusers, which points to the influence of both environmental and genetic factors. Apolipoprotein E (apo E) presents an important polymorphism with three common alleles, epsilon 4, epsilon 3 and epsilon 2. Its modulation role on triglyceride-rich lipoproteins and cholesterol-containing lipoproteins is linked with its interaction with cellular specific receptors. This work aims at studying a possible correlation between apo E polymorphism and alcoholic cirrhosis. The three common alleles were identified by enzymatic amplification (PCR) of genomic DNA from blood samples and analysis of restriction profiles. The distribution of alleles and genotypes was performed in 35 Caucasian cirrhotic patients (medium age 57 years) and compared with the usual distribution of apo E phenotypes in European Caucasian populations. The results show lower epsilon 4 and epsilon 2 allele frequencies and higher epsilon 3 allele frequency in Caucasian alcoholic cirrhotics.