Effect of the MTP -493 G/T polymorphism on the lipid profiles of the Guangxi Hei Yi Zhuang and Han populations

There are 56 nationalities in China. Han is the largest and Zhuang the second largest. Geographically and linguistically, Zhuang can be classified into 43 ethnic subgroups, in which Hei Yi (meaning black‐worship and black‐dressing) Zhuang is proved to be the most conservative group according to its unique culture and custom. Information on the genetic influence on the lipid profile is limited in this population. To obtain some of this information, a cross‐sectional survey of hyperlipidemia was carried out in 500 people of Hei Yi Zhuang and 500 people of Han in the same area. The genotypes and alleles of the microsomal triacylglycerol transfer protein (MTP –493 G/T) were also determined, by polymerase chain reaction combined with an allele‐specific oligonucleotide hybridization method, and then confirmed by direct sequencing. The frequencies of the G and T alleles were 0.74 and 0.26, respectively, in Hei Yi Zhuang, and 0.73 and 0.27 (p >0.05) in Han. The frequencies of the GG, GT and TT genotypes were 0.58, 0.33 and 0.09, respectively, in Hei Yi Zhuang, and 0.56, 0.34 and 0.09 (p >0.05) in Han. In the combined population of both Hei Yi Zhuang and Han, the levels of total cholesterol, triacylglycerol, low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, and apolipoprotein B in the TT genotype were significantly higher than those in the GT (p