Genomic study in Mexicans identifies a new locus for triglycerides and refines European lipid loci

The Mexican population has an increased susceptibility to dyslipidemias predisposing to coronary heart disease. We performed the first Mexican GWAS for lipids in which we observed a novel locus for high triglycerides near the NPC1 gene. Using cross-ethnic mapping we also restricted several GWAS loci shared between Mexicans and Europeans. At the APOA5 locus, we demonstrate a direct link between the TG-associated variant and postprandial serum apoAV protein levels. Furthermore, our study provides the first comprehensive search for establishing which European loci can be generalized to Mexicans, and demonstrates thus the importance of utilizing diverse populations in genomic lipid studies. (By Dr. Daphna Weissglas-Volkov, http://jmg.bmj.com/content/early/2013/03/14/jmedgenet-2012-101461 )