Association of the -159 C --> T polymorphism in the CD14 promoter with variations in serum lipoproteins in healthy subjects.

The CD14-159 C --> T polymorphism, a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at position -159 in the promoter region of the gene encoding the pattern recognition receptor CD14, has been associated with elevated plasma concentrations of soluble CD14, lowered serum immunoglobulin E, increased risk for myocardial infarction, and decreased risk for allergy and asthma. In the present study, the CD14-159 C --> T polymorphism has been investigated in order to determine its frequency and association with proinflammatory variables and lipid profile traits of 117 volunteers. The frequency of the CD14 promoter genotype as determined by polymerase chain reaction amplification-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis was 35.0% (CC), 44.4% (CT), and 20.5% (TT), and the T allele frequency was 42.7%. Compared with the other genotypes, notably CC homozygotes, TT homozygotes were associated with lower total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and apolipoprotein B-100 (P < 0.01) concentrations in serum. However, no association was found between the investigated SNP and inflammatory mediators such as fibrinogen, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, tissue factor, C-reactive protein, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, leukotriene B4, or thromboxane B2. In conclusion, the CD14-159 C --> T polymorphism may be an important genetic trait, related to the ability of CD14 to bind and transport lipids, such as cholesterol.