• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.1192-1198
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• 2004

Sasang Constitutional Medicine is a major branch of Korean Traditional Medicine. The differences of disease susceptibility to be shown in Sasang constitution may be due to genetic factors. Therefore, I examined interrelationship among cerebral infarction (CI), apolipoprotein E (apo E) gene polymorphism, and Sasang constitutional classification. Apo E is a key protein modulating the highly atherogenic apoB containing lipoproteins and is a candidate gene for the development of coronary artery disease (CAD). The ε2 and/or ε4 alleles were the first to be implicated in premature CAD, which resulted in this polymorphism being extensively studied. I investigated the association between apo E genotype and CI by case-control study in a Korean population. I also classified CI patients and control group into groups according to Sasang Constitutional Medicine. 218 CI patients and 379 controls without CI were examined. Apo E genotype was determined by 8% polyacrylamide gel separation after DNA amplification. A frequency of apo E ε3/ε3 in the apo E genotype distribution was higher in the CI patients compared with that in controls. Also, it was widely known that Taeumin was easily attacked with CI, but there was no association between apo E polymorphim and Taeumin. However, the Taeumin constitution did not enhance the relative risk for CI in the subjects with apo E ε2 and/or ε4 alleles. No differences in the apo E genotypes frequencies were observed in the Taeumin compared with that in the other constitutions. In addition, I investigated whether the DD(deletion/deletion) or ID(insertion/deletion) genotype of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) gene, a candidate gene for CI, was associated with CI, Taeumin constitution, and apo E polymorphism. As a result, the frequency of Taeumin constitution was significantly higher in CI patients with both apo E ε3/ε4 and ACE ID/DD genotypes than in the remaining Sasang constitutions. In summary, it was concluded that the apo E polymorphism is a major risk factor for CI in Koreans and the ACE ID/DD genotype enhanced the relative risk for CI in the subjects with apo E ε3/ε4 genotype and Taeumin constitution.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.477-486
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• 2020

This study was undertaken to analyze the correlation between depression and memory, by considering the occurrence of ApoE ɛ4 and clinical dementia rating in the elderly with Alzheimer's dementia. This study included 50 participants over 65 years of age, evaluated with CDR 0.5 to 2. We performed CDR, SVLT-E, RCFT, SGDS-K, and ApoE genotyping. Spearman's correlation analysis was used for determining the correlation between depression and memory. The results indicate a significant negative correlation between depression and immediate recall verbal memory in the CDR 1 and 2 without ApoE ɛ4 carrier group (p<0.05). Furthermore, a significant negative correlation was also determined between depression and delayed recall verbal memory in the CDR 1 of the same group. Ed. Notes: The previous sentence already shows this correlation. I suggest this should be deleted from this statement. However, no significant correlation was observed between depression and visual memory. This study found a significant correlation between depression and immediate recall verbal memory. Also, the presence of ApoE ɛ4 indicates a significant correlation between depression and delayed verbal recall memory. Taken together, our results indicate that verbal memory training rather than visual memory training can be more effective in early AD. Also, the treatment of depression will provide a complementary effect.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.213-221
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• 2010

Objectives: Plasma lipid profiles and Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) are established risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD). The knowledge of lipid profile may estimate the potential victims of cardiovascular disease before its initiation and progression and offers the opportunity for primary prevention. The most common ApoE polymorphism has been found to influence plasma lipid concentrations and its correlation with CVD has been extensively investigated in the last decade. Methods: The ApoE polymorphism and its influence on plasma lipid were investigated in healthy woman workers. The information on confounding factors was obtained through a self-administered questionnaire and ApoE polymorphism was investigated using PCR. Results: The relative frequencies of alleles E2, E3 and E4 for the study population (n = 305) were 0.127, 0.750 and 0.121, respectively. ApoE polymorphism was associated with variations in plasma HDL-cholesterol lipid profile. In order to estimate the independent effects of alleles E2 and E4, as compared with E3, on lipid profile, multiple regression was performed after adjustment for confounding variables such as age, BMI, blood pressure, education status, insulin, fasting glucose, HOMA-IR, menopause. ApoE2 had a negative association with HDL cholesterol and ApoE4 had a positive association with LDL cholesterol. Conclusions: This study identified that the ApoE and CVD risk factors contribute to the lipid profiles, similar to other studies. The analysis including dietary intake and other gene in further studies may help to identify clear effects on lipid profiles as risk factor for CVD.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.29-34
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• 2008

Objectives : This study aimed to test potential modifying effects of education on the association between apolipoprotein E ${\varepsilon}4$ (Apo E4) and cognitive decline. Methods : A community cohort(N=683) aged 65 or over completed the Korean version of Mini-Mental State Examination(MMSE-K) at baseline and two years later(1999-2001). Apo E polymorphisms were genotyped, and classified into that with or without Apo E4. Educational levels were categorized into people with or without education. Covariates included demographic(age, gender), life style(smoking, alcohol drinking), clinical (depression, sleep disorder, vascular risk factors) characteristics. Results : The association between Apo E4 and cognitive decline was significant only in the old persons with no education. The interaction term between education and Apo E4 on cognitive decline was significant(p=0.040). Conclusion : Elders with no education might be more vulnerable to the impact of Apo E4 on cognitive decline, which suggests gene-environment interaction.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.113-119
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• 2003

The association between apolipoprotein E (apo E) gene polymorphism and ischemic cerebrovascular disease (ICVD) has been controversial. These controversies may be due to inaccurate classification of patients and ethnic differences. We investigated the association between apo E genotypes and ICVD patients by case-control study in a Korean population. The association between apo E polymorphism and ICVD was examined in 121 patients with ICVD and 132 controls without ICVD. The E3/E4 phenotype was more frequent in control subjects (23.8％) than in patients (13.0％) (p<0.05). The E2/E3 phenotype was more frequent in patients (14.8％) than in control subjects (10.8％), but the difference was not statistically significant (p>0.05). These results suggest that the E4 allele may be a protective factor against early vascular morbidity, and the E2 allele may be a risk factor for cerebrovascular morbidity.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.1024-1030
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• 2007

We investigated the human apolipoprotein E2 (apoE2) transgenic mouse as an animal model system for age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Transgenic mice expressing human apoE2 and C57BL/6J mice were fed normal chow or a high-fat diet for 4 weeks. Eyes were collected from the mice and lipid deposits in retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) were assessed using electron microscopy. The expressions of apoE, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), and pigment-epithelium derived factor (PEDF), which are molecular markers for angiogenesis, were assessed with immunohistochemistry. Eyes from apoE2 mice, regardless of diet, contained lipid accumulation in RPE under electron microscopy, whereas control C57BL/6J eyes did not. Lipid accumulation was found predominantly in the RPE and the Bruch's membrane and increased in the eyes of apoE2 mice after one month of a high-fat diet ($8{\pm}2\;per\;50{\mu}m^2$ for normal chow and $11{\pm}2\;per\;50\;{\mu}m^2,\;p<0.05)$. ApoE expression was similar in the apoE2 and control mice; however, VEGF and bFGF were overexpressed in the retinal pigment epithelium of apoE2 eyes compared with control eyes, and PEDF expression was slightly decreased. These expression patterns of VEGF, bFGF, and PEDF suggest angiogenesis is progressing in apoE2 eyes. In conclusion, the eyes of apoE2 mice develop typical lipid accumulations, a common characteristic of AMD, making them a suitable animal model for AMD. The expression profile of VEGF and bFGF on the retinal pigment epithelium suggests that apoE2 may induce neovascularization by altering angiogenic cytokines.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.25-33
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• 2003

lridology, a form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), is the diagnosis of medical conditions through noting irregularities of the pigmentation in the iris. lridological constitution has a strong familial aggregation and is implicated in heredity. Apolipoprotein E (apoE) gene polymorphism is one of the most well studied genetic markers of vascular disease. I investigated the relationship between iridological constitution and apoE polymorphism. I classified 87 hypertensive patients with family history of cerebral infarction and 79 controls according to iris constitution, and determined apoE genotype. Neurogenic type in hypertensives was 32.2% compared with 16.5% in controls (P<0.001). No differences in the apoE genotypes frequencies were observed in patients compared with those in controls ($x^2=0.726$, df-=2, P=0.696). However, in a population with ${\varepsilon}3/{\varepsilon}4$ genotype, the frequency of neurogenic constitution was significantly higher in hypertensives than in controls (60% vs. 0%) ($x^2=5.265$, df=l, P=0.022). These results could imply that apoE ${\varepsilon}3/{\varepsilon}4$ genotype and neurogenic iris constitution are risk factors for hypertension.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.102-112
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• 2003

The homozygous deletion allele of the angiotensin converting enzyme gene (ACF/DD), homozygous threonine allele of the angiotensinogen gene (AGN/TT), and the 4 allele of the apolipoprotein E gene (apoE/4) are reported to be associated with ischemic heart disease. Ischemic cerebrovascular disease (ICVD) is another atherosclerotic disease, and the effects of these polymorphisms on ICVD have been confusing. In this study, I investigated whether ACF/DD, AGN/TT, and apoE/4 genotypes are associated with ICVD and whether genetic risk is enhanced by the effect of one upon another. I ascertained these genotypes in patients with ICVD (n=121) diagnosed by brain computed tomography. Control subjects for the ICVD were randomly selected from subjects matched for age, gender, and history of hypertension with patients. Frequency of ACF/DD genotype was somewhat higher in the patients with ICVD than in the controls (18％ vs. 15％). Incidence of ICVD was higher in subjects with the apoE/4/4 genotype than in the other genotypes (50％ vs. 27-29％). Incidence of ICVD was much higher in subjects with the AGN/TT genotype than in AGN/MM genotype (36％ vs. 17％). Furthermore, the AGN/TT genotype greatly increased the relative risk for ICVD in the subjects with ACF/DD genotype (80.0％ vs. 20.0％, P=0.089). Finally, incidence of ICVD was much higher in the subjects with both apoE/2/4 and AGN/TT genotype than in the other genotypes (83.3％ vs. 16.7％, P=O.095). These results suggest that AGN/TT enhances the risk for ICVD associated with ACF/DD and apoE/2/4.

• BMB Reports
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.565-571
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• 1998

The expression of the endogenous human apolipoprotein(apo)E gene was significantly induced when HepG2 cells were treated with exogenous 25-hydroxy-cholesterol. This sterol-mediated apoE gene upregulation appears to require the participation of a positive element for the apoE gene transcription (PET) ( -169/ -140), a core sequence of upstream regulatory element (URE)1 enhancer of the human apoE gene. This PET was renamed as sterol regulatory element (SRE)4 based on its new role as a sensor for the level of intracellular sterol. Furthermore, a gel mobility shift analysis showed that binding activity of the SRE4 binding protein (BP) obtained from HepG2 cells was induced by sterol treatment, while that from either MCF7 or BT20 cells remained unchanged. Binding activity of SRE4BP was also induced in mouse macrophage cells, J774A.1, by sterol treatment, but it was drastically reduced when cells were subjected to treatment of AY-9944, a potent inhibitor for sterol synthesis. However, binding activity of Spl, which is a co-binding protein to the SRE4 region, remained the same in either condition, suggesting that SRE4BP (formally known as PETBP) may be mainly responsible for the sterol-mediated regulation of the apoE gene expression. Deletion analysis of the core binding site of SRE4BP by gel mobility shift assays showed that the minimal sequence of the SRE4BP binding appears to reside between -157 and -140, confirming the identity of SRE4 with the previously determined core sequence of URE1.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.179-183
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• 2006

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterised neuropathologically by the accumulation of neuritic plaques and neurofibrillary tangles as well as by cerebrovascular amyloid deposition and neuronal cell loss. Current advances have shown the apolipoproteinE-epsilon 4 (ApoE4) allele to be highly associated with late-onset familial and sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD) in Western populations. The association of ApoE allele frequencies and dementia remains unknown in populations from many countries. We recently initiated a project to examine ApoE frequencies in non-demented healthy Koreans. Genomic DNA in hair root from a thousand persons was collected and ApoE gene type was investigated with the methods of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism. A group of a thousand non-demented Koreans over the age of 40 years were found to be positive in 15.7% of the cases for ApoE4. AD and ApoE4 were closely related. ApoE epsilon 4 was a dangerous factor of AD and ApoE 4 allele made a contribution to the heterogenicity of AD.