GWAS of CRP response to statins further supports the role of APOE in statin response: A GIST consortium study

Statins are first-line treatments in the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. Clinical studies show statins act independently of lipid-lowering mechanisms to decrease C-reactive protein (CRP), an inflammation marker. We aim to elucidate genetic loci associated with CRP statin response.

CRP statin response is the change in log-CRP between off-treatment and on-treatment measurements. Cohort-level Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) of CRP response were performed using 1000 Genomes imputed data, testing ∼10 million common genetic variants. GWAS meta-analysis combined results from seven cohorts and clinical trials totalling 14,070 statin-treated individuals of European ancestry within the GIST consortium. Secondary analyses included statin-by-placebo interaction analyses, and lookups in African ancestry cohorts.

Our GWAS identified two genome-wide significant (P < 5e-8) loci: APOE and HNF1A for CRP statin response corrected for baseline CRP. The missense lead variant rs429358 at APOE, contributing to the APOE-E4 haplotype, is a risk locus for dyslipidaemia, Alzheimer’s and coronary artery disease (CAD). The HNF1A locus is associated with diabetes, cholesterol levels, and CAD. Both loci are also associated with baseline CRP levels, and neither locus achieved a significant (P < 0.05) result from the statin v. placebo interaction meta-analysis using randomized clinical trial data. However, the interaction result (P-int=0.09) for APOE was suggestive and possibly underpowered.

The APOE-E4 signal may therefore be associated with both CRP and LDL-cholesterol statin response. Combined with suggestions in the literature that APOE also leads to differential statin benefit in Alzheimer’s, the APOE locus warrants further investigation for potential genetic effects on healthcare with statin treatment.