Association of Scavenger Receptor Class B Type I Polymorphisms With Subclinical Atherosclerosis

Abstract

Background— Little is known about the association of scavenger receptor class B type I ( SCARB1 ) single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and subclinical atherosclerosis, particularly in subjects of different racial/ethnic backgrounds. We examined this relationship in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. Methods and Results— Forty-three SCARB1 -tagging SNPs were genotyped. Baseline examinations included fasting lipids and subclinical atherosclerosis phenotypes (coronary artery calcification, common carotid intimal-medial artery thickness [CCIMT], and internal carotid intimal-medial artery thickness). Examining SNP associations with different subclinical atherosclerosis phenotypes across multiple racial/ethnic groups with adjustment for multiple covariates, we found that the C allele of SNP rs10846744 was associated with higher CCIMT in African American ( P =0.03), Chinese ( P =0.02), European American ( P =0.05), and Hispanic participants ( P =0.03) and was strongly associated in pooled analyses ( P =0.0002). The results also showed that the association of this SNP with CCIMT was independent of lipids and other well-established cardiovascular risk factors. Stratifying by sex, there seemed to be a strong association of rs10846744 with CCIMT in women, but no genotype-sex interactions were observed. Conclusions— Variation in SCARB1 at rs10846744 was significantly associated with CCIMT across racial/ethnic groups in Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.