A DNA polymorphism for lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) is associated with high density lipoprotein...

We investigated the effects of a polymorphic PvuII site in the gene for lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) on serum high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and apolipoprotein A-I (apo A-I) concentrations in a population of 750 pedigreed baboons. We also tested for genotype by diet interactions using data on HDL-C and apo A-I concentrations on two diets (chow and high-cholesterol, saturated fat). A significant (P < 0.001) association between the LCAT genotypes and HDL-C levels was observed. On both diets, animals homozygous for the less common allele had HDL-C levels that averaged 18-19% lower than animals homozygous for the more common allele. HDL-C levels of the heterozygotes were intermediate. The LCAT RFLP accounted for approximately 5% of the variation in HDL-C levels on the two diets. We observed no strong evidence for an LCAT genotype by diet interaction effect.