Evidence is sparse about the genetic determinants of major lipids in Pakistanis. Variants (n=45 000) across 2000 genes were assessed in 3200 Pakistanis and compared with 2450 Germans using the same ge Show more
Evidence is sparse about the genetic determinants of major lipids in Pakistanis. Variants (n=45 000) across 2000 genes were assessed in 3200 Pakistanis and compared with 2450 Germans using the same gene array and similar lipid assays. We also did a meta-analysis of selected lipid-related variants in Europeans. Pakistani genetic architecture was distinct from that of several ethnic groups represented in international reference samples. Forty-one variants at 14 loci were significantly associated with levels of HDL-C, triglyceride, or LDL-C. The most significant lipid-related variants identified among Pakistanis corresponded to genes previously shown to be relevant to Europeans, such as CETP associated with HDL-C levels (rs711752; P<10(-13)), APOA5/ZNF259 (rs651821; P<10(-13)) and GCKR (rs1260326; P<10(-13)) with triglyceride levels; and CELSR2 variants with LDL-C levels (rs646776; P<10(-9)). For Pakistanis, these 41 variants explained 6.2%, 7.1%, and 0.9% of the variation in HDL-C, triglyceride, and LDL-C, respectively. Compared with Europeans, the allele frequency of rs662799 in APOA5 among Pakistanis was higher and its impact on triglyceride concentration was greater (P-value for difference <10(-4)). Several lipid-related genetic variants are common to Pakistanis and Europeans, though they explain only a modest proportion of population variation in lipid concentration. Allelic frequencies and effect sizes of lipid-related variants can differ between Pakistanis and Europeans. Show less
Batten disease, juvenile onset neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis, is an autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by accumulation of autofluorescent lipopigment in neurons and other ce Show more
Batten disease, juvenile onset neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis, is an autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by accumulation of autofluorescent lipopigment in neurons and other cell types. The disease locus (CLN3) has previously been assigned to chromosome 16p. The genetic localization of CLN3 has been refined by analyzing 70 families using a high-resolution map of 15 marker loci encompassing the CLN3 region on 16p. Crossovers in three maternal meioses allowed localization of CLN3 to the interval between D16S297 and D16S57. Within that interval alleles at three highly polymorphic dinucleotide repeat loci (D16S288, D16S298, D16S299) were found to be in strong linkage disequilibrium with CLN3. Analysis of haplotypes suggests that a majority of CLN3 chromosomes have arisen from a single founder mutation. Show less