XKR6 rs7014968 SNP Increases Serum Total Cholesterol Levels and the Risk of Coronary Heart Disease and Ischemic Stroke

The X Kell blood group complex subunit-related family member 6 (XKR6) gene single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been associated with serum lipid profiles and the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) and ischemic stroke (IS) in several previous studies, but the association between the XKR6 rs7014968 SNP and serum lipid levels and the risk of CHD and IS has not been detected previously. This study aims to explore the association between the XKR6 rs7014968 SNP and serum lipid traits and the susceptibility to CHD and IS in the Guangxi Han Chinese population. Snapshot technology was used to determine the genotypes of the XKR6 rs7014968 SNP in 624 controls, 588 patients with CHD, and 544 patients with IS. The XKR6 rs7014968C allele carriers in the control group had higher serum total cholesterol (TC) levels than the C allele noncarriers (P = .025). The XKR6 rs7014968C allele carriers also had an increased risk of CHD and IS (P < .05-.01). Stratified analysis showed that the patients with the rs7014968C allele in the female, age >60 years, body mass index (BMI) >24 kg/m(2), and hypertension subgroups had a higher risk of CHD than those in the subgroup counterparts. The patients with the rs7014968C allele in the male, BMI > 24 kg/m(2), smoker, and hypertension subgroups also had a higher risk of IS than those in the subgroup counterparts. These results suggest that the XKR6 rs7014968 SNP is likely to increase the risk of CHD and IS by increasing serum TC levels in our study populations.