USF1 gene variants contribute to metabolic traits in men in a longitudinal 32-year follow-up study

Aims/hypothesis Genetic variants of upstream transcription factor 1 (USF1) have previously been associated with dyslipidaemias in family studies. Our aim was to further address the role of USF1 in metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular traits at the population level in a large Swedish male cohort (n = 2,322) with multiple measurements for risk factors during 32 years of follow-up. Methods Participants, born in 1920-1924, were examined at 50, 60, 70 and 77 years of age. The follow-up period for cardiovascular events was 1970-2002. We genotyped three haplotype tagging polymorphisms capturing the major allelic variants of USF1. Results SNP rs2774279 was associated with the metabolic syndrome. The minor allele of rs2774279 was less common among individuals with metabolic syndrome than among healthy controls [p = 0.0029 when metabolic syndrome was defined according to the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III; p = 0.0073 when defined according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF)]. The minor allele of rs2774279 was also associated with lower BMI, lower fasting glucose values and higher HDL-cholesterol concentrations in longitudinal analyses. With SNP rs2073658, a borderline association with metabolic syndrome was observed (p = 0.036, IDF), the minor allele being the risk-increasing allele. The minor allele of rs2073658 also associated with higher total and LDL-cholesterol, apolipoprotein B-100 and lipoprotein(a) concentrations in longitudinal analyses. Importantly, these trends with respect to the allelic variants prevailed throughout the follow-up time of three decades. Conclusions/interpretation Our results suggest that USF1 variants associate with the metabolic syndrome at population level and influence the cardiovascular risk factors throughout adulthood in a consistent, longitudinal manner.