Showing papers by "Rosa Maria Corbo published in 2008"

Apolipoproteins B and E, and angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) genetic polymorphisms in Italian women with coronary artery disease (CAD) and their relationships with plasma lipid and apolipoprotein levels.

Abstract: The XbaI, EcoRI and the signal peptide insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphic sites of APOB gene, the CfoI polymorphic site of apolipoprotein E gene (APOE), and the insertion/deletion polymorphism of angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) gene were studied using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in 55 postmenopausal women with coronary artery disease (CAD) and in 119 control women of equivalent age. Patients and controls were recruited from the population of Rome, considered representative of Central and Southern Italy. There were no significant differences in allele frequencies between the two groups, though APOB X-, R- and I, APOE*3, and ACE D alleles were slightly more frequent in the cases than in the controls. The patients did not differ from the controls for plasma total cholesterol (TC), HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and apoAI values, while they presented significantly higher levels of triglycerides and apoB, and lower apoE levels. TC, apoE, and apoB quantitative values, adjusted for age, varied significantly among APOB XbaI and APOE genotypes. APOB X-X- genotype was associated in patients with a significantly lower mean TC concentration than the other two genotypes pooled together. APOE 3-2 genotype in the controls had significantly lower TC levels with respect to the other two pooled genotypic classes and higher apoE levels compared to 3-3 and 4-3 genotypes. In the patients, 3-2 genotype had significantly lower apoB levels than the pooled 3-3 and 4-3 class. We conclude that in the Italian women the DNA polymorphisms studied in this work do not seem to be important risk factors for CAD occurrence; that apoE quantitation could be another useful parameter to identify subjects at risk of CAD; and that APOB X- and APOE*2 are the alleles that most influence the interindividual plasma lipid variation among CAD female patients.

Study on a possible effect of four longevity candidate genes (ACE, PON1, PPAR-γ, and APOE) on human fertility

Abstract: The present study investigated for a possible effect on fertility of four longevity candidate genes (ACE, PON1, PPAR-γ, APOE) in order to determine whether they have a pleiotropic action at different life ages. The study population was 151 healthy unrelated subjects. Only PPAR-γ and APOE showed an effect on fertility. The PPAR-γ Pro/Ala genotype, which had showed an association with longevity only in men, was found associated only in men with having produced more children (6.1 ± 3.3) than the Pro/Pro genotype (3.3 ± 1.9; P = 0.001). APOE*2 allele, which has been consistently associated with longevity, was confirmed to be associated with the lowest fertility (P = 0.03). The logistic regression analysis indicated that APOE and PPAR-γ polymorphisms may be considered independent determinants of reproductive efficiency. These data suggest that the APOE*2 allele follows the model of antagonist pleiotropy, while the PPAR-γ Pro/Ala genotype seems to exert beneficial effects both early in life and in advanced age in a gender-specific way.

C-338A polymorphism of the endothelin-converting enzyme (ECE-1) gene and the susceptibility to sporadic late-onset Alzheimer's disease and coronary artery disease.

Abstract: The human endothelin-converting enzyme (ECE) is involved in β-amyloid synthesis and regulation of the endothelin-1 (ET-1) vasoconstricting peptide. We investigated the distribution of the C-338A polymorphism of the ECE-1b gene in sporadic late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (LOAD) and in coronary artery disease (CAD) to verify its role in the onset of these two complex diseases. Two cohorts of 458 Italian Caucasian LOAD patients and 165 CAD patients were examined for the C-338A polymorphism and compared with respective control samples (260 and 106 subjects, respectively). The A allele was less present in LOAD patients than in controls, but an at limits statistically significant difference was achieved only in subjects aged less than 80 years, where only the AA genotypes appeared to have a protective role against the onset of the sporadic LOAD. For the overall CAD sample the pattern was similar and significant differences were observed only in subjects non carrying the apolipoprotein E (APOE) e*4 allele, where the A allele carrying genotypes had a protective role against the onset of the disease.