Genome-wide Linkage Study for Plasma HDL Cholesterol Level in an Isolated Population of Mongolia

High-density lipoprotein (HDL) whose primary role is to transport cholesterol from peripheral tissues to the liver, is associated with the incidence of coronary heart disease. We analyzed HDL cholesterol levels in a genetically isolated population of extended Mongolian families. A total of 1002 individuals (54.5% women) from 95 families were enrolled. After genotyping by use of 1000 microsatellite markers, we performed a genome-wide linkage search with variance component analysis. The estimated heritability of HDL cholesterol was 0.45, revealing that HDL cholesterol was under significant genetic influence. We found peak evidence of linkage (LOD score=1.88) for HDL cholesterol level on chromosome 6 (nearest marker D6S1660) and potential evidences for linkage on chromosomes 1, 12 and 19 with the LOD scores of 1.32, 1.44 and 1.14, respectively. These results should pave the way for the discovery of the relevant genes by fine mapping and association analysis.