Maturitas
Volume 62, Issue 1 , Pages 37-41, 20 January 2009

A polymorphism of apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene is associated with age at natural menopause in Caucasian females

  • Li-Na He

      Affiliations

    • Center of Forensic Sciences, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Beijing 101318, PR China
    • ,
  • Robert R. Recker

      Affiliations

    • Osteoporosis Research Center and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Creighton University, Omaha, NE 68131, USA
    • ,
  • Hong-Wen Deng

      Affiliations

    • Center of Forensic Sciences, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Beijing 101318, PR China
    • School of Medicine, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO 64108, USA
    • Laboratory of Molecular and Statistical Genetics, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan 410081, PR China
    • ,
  • Volodymyr Dvornyk

      Affiliations

    • School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong SAR, PR China
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Tel.: +852 2299 0611; fax: +852 2559 9114.

Received 19 October 2007; received in revised form 7 October 2008; accepted 9 October 2008. published online 20 November 2008.

Abstract 

Objective

The present study aimed to investigate possible association of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene polymorphisms with age at natural menopause (ANM) in Caucasian females.

Design

Four SNPs (including two replacements, SNP3 Cys112Arg and SNP4 Arg158Cys) were genotyped in 253 randomly selected unrelated Caucasian women having experienced natural menopause. The comprehensive statistical analyses focusing on the association of the APOE gene and some environmental factors with ANM were conducted.

Results

Alcohol consumption was a significantly predictor of earlier natural menopause (P<0.05). One SNP (rs769450) was significantly associated with ANM according to both population based and the transmission disequilibrium test (TDT) analyses (P=0.007 and 0.046, respectively). However, no association was observed between APOE ɛ2, ɛ3, ɛ4 and ANM.

Conclusions

Genetic variation in the APOE gene may influence the variation in ANM in Caucasian women.

Keywords: Age at natural menopause (ANM), Association, APOE, Polymorphism

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PII: S0378-5122(08)00266-1

doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2008.10.011

Maturitas
Volume 62, Issue 1 , Pages 37-41, 20 January 2009

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