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Genetic associations with human longevity at the APOE and ACE loci

Nature Genetics volume 6, pages 29–32 (1994)Cite this article

Abstract

In an effort to dissect the genetic components of longevity, we have undertaken case–control studies of populations of centenarians (n=338) and adults aged 20–70 years at several polymorphic candidate gene loci. Here we report results on two genes, chosen for their impact on cardiovascular risk, encoding apolipoprotein E (ApoE), angiotensin–converting enzyme (ACE). We find that the ε4 allele of APOE, which promotes premature atherosclerosis, is significantly less frequent in centenarians than in controls (p<0.001), while the frequency of the ε2 allele, associated previously with type III and IV hyperlipidemia, is significantly increased (p<0.01). A variant of ACE which predisposes to coronary heart disease is surprisingly more frequent in centenarians, with a significant increase of the homozygous genotype (p<0.01). These associations provide examples of genetic influences on differential survival and may point to pleiotropic age–dependent effects on longevity.

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  1. Centre d'Etude du Polymorphisme Humain, 27 rue Juliette Dodu, 75010, Paris, France

    François Schächter, Laurence Faure-Delanef, Frédérique Guénot, Hervé Rouger, Philippe Froguel, Laurence Lesueur-Ginot & Daniel Cohen

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Schächter, F., Faure-Delanef, L., Guénot, F. et al. Genetic associations with human longevity at the APOE and ACE loci. Nat Genet 6, 29–32 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1038/ng0194-29

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