[elite engineer]

Hi all. I'm majoring in biotechnology, and am in my senior year. In class last week, we harvested some of our buccal cells, and extracted our DNA in order to observe any polymorphisms in our PON1 gene.

As it turns out I am a heterozygote for the QR polymorphism (Q = glutamine, R = arginine). I read some studies that associate  the QR and RR polymorphism with increased risk for coronary artery disease.

This is where I'm confused and frankly scared. I read a study from 2002 that said people with the PON1 polymorph. and high HDL levels are at high risk for heart disease. I find this really odd, b/c high HDL is a good prevention for heart disease...however, if you have the PON1 polymorph, having high HDL is bad. I'm just really worried, any thoughts?

here's the link to paper (abstract only): http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/12204800

[Dan]

I suggest discussing this with a doctor, maybe you can get referred to a cardiologist, who can talk you through what it means.

"Increased risk" is not a death sentence - don't panic, seek professional advice first.

[digitalbio]

Certain PON1 polymorphisms have been described as risk factors, but the effects of many genetic changes can be modified by the environment and by the effects of other genes.

There are environmental and lifestyle factors that are likely to increase your risk of developing heart disease far more than PON1 polymorphisms.  These include smoking, diet, and lack of exercise.

If you want a good summary of all the current data related to PON1, the best resource is the OMIM citation.  http://omim.org/entry/168820