Mutations

APOE c.43+520G>A (rs769450)

Other Names: rs769450, Int2 G/A

Overview

Clinical Phenotype: Alzheimer's Disease, Multiple Conditions
Position: (GRCh38/hg38):Chr19:44907187 G>A
Position: (GRCh37/hg19):Chr19:45410444 G>A
Transcript: NM_000041; ENSG00000130203
dbSNP ID: rs769450
Coding/Non-Coding: Non-Coding
DNA Change: Substitution
Expected RNA Consequence: Substitution
Reference Isoform: APOE Isoform 1
Genomic Region: Intron 2

Findings

This common intronic variant has been associated with Alzheimer’s disease risk. However, its contribution to disease is uncertain. As illustrated in the table below, several large genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have found highly significant associations, but when the presence of the APOE2/3/4 alleles has been taken into account, the p-values of the associations drop dramatically. Moreover, one GWAS meta-analysis reported the allele as being not “credibly causal” based on a Bayesian model that uses fine-mapping to calculate the probability that a given polymorphism is driving an association signal (Jansen et al., 2019).

Data on the linkage between this variant and other nearby variants, across several populations, can be found in the GWAS catalog (click on “Linkage Disequilibrium” tab in the “Available data” section). Note that even weak linkages can be important as they can lead to confounding effects without proper adjustment (e.g., Andrews et al., 2019).

Although the variant is frequent among people of European and African ancestries (0.41 and 0.38, respectively), it is less prevalent in Latino/Admixed Americans and East Asians (0.29 and 0.20, respectively), and absent from South Asians in the gnomAD variant database (v2.1.1, Jun 2022).

Non-Neurological Conditions

Several studies have reported associations of this variant with blood lipid and protein profiles. For example, a meta-analysis of 32 studies including data from more than 66,000 individuals (Asselbergs et al., 2012) and a GWAS including more than 350,000 individuals of mixed ancestry from the UK Biobank (Sinnott-Armstrong et al., 2021, GWAS Catalog), found c.43+520G>A associated with increased levels of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). Two other studies reported similar associations and found evidence for c.43+520G>A having an effect on these traits independent of other variants (Musunuru et al., 2012; Pirim et al., 2019)—in one study, specifically independent of APOE4 and APOE2 (Pirim et al., 2019).

Of potential neurological interest, c.43+520G>A was found associated with levels of C-reactive protein in both African Americans and individuals of European descent (Ellis et al., 2014, Sinnott-Armstrong et al., 2021, GWAS Catalog). This protein is an inflammation marker in blood whose elevation in mid-life, appears to correlate with later cognitive decline (Feb 2019 news; Walker et al., 2019). However, whether the association is causal or not remains unknown.

Interestingly, genetic ancestry may play a role in determining the associations of this variant with physiological traits. For example, although the study was relatively small, Pirim and colleagues identified associations with total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and triglycerides in non-Hispanic whites (623 individuals), but not in African Blacks (788 individuals) (Pirim et al., 2019). Moreover, Musunuru and co-workers reported increased LDL levels in both European- and African Americans, but only the European association qualified as likely independent (Musunuru et al., 2012).

This variant has also been examined in small cohorts in the context of other conditions, such as menopause (He et al., 2009, Spencer et al., 2013), bone density (Singh et al., 2010), leprosy (Wang et al., 2018), dietary effects on blood lipids (Shatwan et al., 2018), and risk of metabolic syndrome (Son et al., 2015).

Biological Effect

The biological effect of this variant is unknown, but its PHRED-scaled CADD score (4.31), which integrates diverse information in silico, did not reach 20, a commonly used threshold to predict deleteriousness (CADD v.1.6, May 2022).

Table

Study Type Risk Allele(s) Risk Allele Freq N
Cases | CTRL
Association Results Ancestry
(Cohort)
Reference
GWAS Meta-analysis A 0.40 71,8880a  | 383,378 z-score= -27.01
p=1.08x10-160
European
(PGC-ALZ, IGAP, ADSP)
Jansen et al., 2019
GWAS Meta-analysis A   21,982 | 41,944 p=1.94x10-120 European
(IGAP Rare Variants: Stage 1)
Kunkle et al., 2019b
GWAS A   21,392 | 38,164 p=1.4x10-101 Mixed ancestry
(ADGC Transethnic LOAD: All Samples)
Jun et al., 2017b
GWAS A   21,392 | 38,164 p=1.4x10-8
(adjusted for APOE4)
Mixed ancestry
(ADGC Transethnic LOAD: All Samples)
Jun et al., 2017b
GWAS Meta-analysis A   17,536 | 36,175

p=3.82x10-106  

(APOE-Stratified Analysis: All Samples)

(IGAP) Jun et al., 2016b
GWAS Meta-analysis A   17,536 | 36,175

p=2.23x10-5

(APOE-Stratified Analysis: SNP - APOE4 Status Interaction)

(IGAP) Jun et al., 2016b
GWAS Meta-analysis A   17,008 | 37,154 p=5.1x10-104 European
(IGAP 2013: Stage 1)
Lambert et al., 2013b
GWAS A   12,738 | 13,850 p=3.4x10-10 Mixed ancestry
(ADGC Transethnic LOAD: APOE4 Carriers)
Jun et al., 2017b
GWAS Meta-analysis A   10,352 | 9,207

p=5.48x10-5

(APOE-Stratified Analysis: APOE4 Carriers)

(IGAP) Jun et al., 2017b
GWAS Meta-analysis A   8,572 | 11,3128 p=2.4x10-59 European
(IGAP 2013: ADGC Subset)
Lambert et al., 2013b
GWAS G 0.61 17,480
(total)
OR=1.60
[CI=1.44-1.75]
p=6x10-19
European
(NIA-LOADFS, SHARe, STAAMPEED, CHS)
Nazarian et al., 2019c
GWAS A   3,568 | 6,205 OR=0.6
p=5.35x10-27
Caucasian
(MIRAGE, ADNI, GenADA, NIA-LOAD, FHS)
Logue et al., 2011
GWAS A   3,568 | 6,205 OR=0.91
p=6.79x10-2
(Adjusted for APOE2, E3, E4)
Caucasian
(MIRAGE, ADNI, GenADA, NIA-LOAD, FHS)
Logue et al., 2011
GWAS A 0.37 4,230 | 3,109

pd=8.90x10-17

Non-Hispanic White (ADSP) Lee et al., 2023
GWAS A 0.35 1,137 | 1,707 pd=6.13x10-15 African American (ADSP) Lee et al., 2023
GWAS  A   1,968 | 3,928 p=3.1x10-12 African American
(ADGC African Americans 2013)
Reitz et al., 2013b
GWAS A   513 | 496 OR=0.69
p=4.46x10-4
African American
(MIRAGE, GenerAAtions)
Logue et al., 2011
GWAS A   513 | 496

OR=0.97
p=7.7x10-1 

(Adjusted for APOE2, E3, E4)

African American (MIRAGE, GenerAAtions) Logue et al., 2011

a24,087 LOAD cases; 47,793 offspring of parents with AD
bData from the National Institute on Aging Genetics of Alzheimer’s Disease Data Storage Site (NIAGADS) rs769450, Sep 2022
cData from GWAS Catalog rs769450, Aug 2022
dAssociation not found after APOE4 adjustment (p cut-off=5x10-8)

OR=odds ratio, GWAS=genome-wide association study. Statistically significant associations (as assessed by the authors) are in bold. For data retrieved from NIAGADS, p-values <5x10-8 are in bold. All data retrieved from the GWAS catalog (p-values <1x10-5) are in bold. For Caucasian and mixed ancestry cohorts, only studies with at least 2,000 cases were included in the table. 

This table is meant to convey the range of results reported in the literature. As specific analyses, including co-variates, differ among studies, this information is not intended to be used for quantitative comparisons, and readers are encouraged to refer to the original papers. Thresholds for statistical significance were defined by the authors of each study. (Significant results are in bold.) Note that data from some cohorts may have contributed to multiple studies, so each row does not necessarily represent an independent dataset. While every effort was made to be accurate, readers should confirm any values that are critical for their applications.

Last Updated: 17 Nov 2023

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References

News Citations

  1. Midlife Peripheral Inflammation May Drive Later Cognitive Decline

Paper Citations

  1. . Genome-wide meta-analysis identifies new loci and functional pathways influencing Alzheimer's disease risk. Nat Genet. 2019 Mar;51(3):404-413. Epub 2019 Jan 7 PubMed.
  2. . Protective Variants in Alzheimer's Disease. Curr Genet Med Rep. 2019 Mar;7(1):1-12. Epub 2019 Jan 24 PubMed.
  3. . Large-scale gene-centric meta-analysis across 32 studies identifies multiple lipid loci. Am J Hum Genet. 2012 Nov 2;91(5):823-38. Epub 2012 Oct 11 PubMed.
  4. . Genetics of 35 blood and urine biomarkers in the UK Biobank. Nat Genet. 2021 Feb;53(2):185-194. Epub 2021 Jan 18 PubMed.
  5. . Multi-ethnic analysis of lipid-associated loci: the NHLBI CARe project. PLoS One. 2012;7(5):e36473. Epub 2012 May 21 PubMed.
  6. . Apolipoprotein E-C1-C4-C2 gene cluster region and inter-individual variation in plasma lipoprotein levels: a comprehensive genetic association study in two ethnic groups. PLoS One. 2019;14(3):e0214060. Epub 2019 Mar 26 PubMed.
  7. . Large multiethnic Candidate Gene Study for C-reactive protein levels: identification of a novel association at CD36 in African Americans. Hum Genet. 2014 Aug;133(8):985-95. Epub 2014 Mar 19 PubMed.
  8. . Systemic inflammation during midlife and cognitive change over 20 years: The ARIC Study. Neurology. 2019 Feb 13; PubMed.
  9. . A polymorphism of apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene is associated with age at natural menopause in Caucasian females. Maturitas. 2009 Jan 20;62(1):37-41. Epub 2008 Dec 5 PubMed.
  10. . Genetic variation and reproductive timing: African American women from the Population Architecture using Genomics and Epidemiology (PAGE) Study. PLoS One. 2013;8(2):e55258. Epub 2013 Feb 12 PubMed.
  11. . A susceptible haplotype within APOE gene influences BMD and intensifies the osteoporosis risk in postmenopausal women of Northwest India. Maturitas. 2010 Nov;67(3):239-44. PubMed.
  12. . Association of apolipoprotein E gene polymorphisms with blood lipids and their interaction with dietary factors. Lipids Health Dis. 2018 Apr 30;17(1):98. PubMed.
  13. . Genetic association of APOA5 and APOE with metabolic syndrome and their interaction with health-related behavior in Korean men. Lipids Health Dis. 2015 Sep 13;14:105. PubMed.
  14. . Genetic meta-analysis of diagnosed Alzheimer's disease identifies new risk loci and implicates Aβ, tau, immunity and lipid processing. Nat Genet. 2019 Mar;51(3):414-430. Epub 2019 Feb 28 PubMed. Correction.
  15. . Transethnic genome-wide scan identifies novel Alzheimer's disease loci. Alzheimers Dement. 2017 Jul;13(7):727-738. Epub 2017 Feb 7 PubMed.
  16. . A novel Alzheimer disease locus located near the gene encoding tau protein. Mol Psychiatry. 2015 Mar 17; PubMed.
  17. . Meta-analysis of 74,046 individuals identifies 11 new susceptibility loci for Alzheimer's disease. Nat Genet. 2013 Dec;45(12):1452-8. Epub 2013 Oct 27 PubMed.
  18. . Genome-wide analysis of genetic predisposition to Alzheimer's disease and related sex disparities. Alzheimers Res Ther. 2019 Jan 12;11(1):5. PubMed.
  19. . A comprehensive genetic association study of Alzheimer disease in African Americans. Arch Neurol. 2011 Dec;68(12):1569-79. PubMed.
  20. . Association of Common and Rare Variants with Alzheimer's Disease in over 13,000 Diverse Individuals with Whole-Genome Sequencing from the Alzheimer's Disease Sequencing Project. 2023 Sep 02 10.1101/2023.09.01.23294953 (version 1) medRxiv.
  21. . Variants in the ATP-binding cassette transporter (ABCA7), apolipoprotein E ϵ4,and the risk of late-onset Alzheimer disease in African Americans. JAMA. 2013 Apr 10;309(14):1483-92. PubMed.

External Citations

  1. GWAS catalog
  2. GWAS Catalog

Further Reading

No Available Further Reading

Protein Diagram

Primary Papers

  1. . A polymorphism of apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene is associated with age at natural menopause in Caucasian females. Maturitas. 2009 Jan 20;62(1):37-41. Epub 2008 Dec 5 PubMed.

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