Genetic loci associated with circulating levels of very long-chain saturated fatty acids

Abstract

Very long-chain saturated fatty acids (VLSFAs) are saturated fatty acids with 20 or more carbons. In contrast to the more abundant saturated fatty acids, such as palmitic acid, there is growing evidence that circulating VLSFAs may have benefi cial biological properties. Whether genetic factors infl uence circulating levels of VLSFAs is not known. We investigated the association of common genetic variation with plasma phospholipid/erythrocyte levels of three VLSFAs by performing genome-wide association studies in seven population-based cohorts comprising 10,129 subjects of European ancestry. We observed associations of circulating VLSFA concentrations with common variants in two genes, serine palmitoyl-transferase long-chain base subunit 3 ( SPTLC3 ), a gene involved in the rate-limiting step of de novo sphingolipid synthesis, and ceramide synthase 4 ( CERS4 ).