Identification of Apo(a) Phenotypes in a Korean Population Using a Standardized Nomenclature System Based on the Number of Kringle IV Repeats

We determined serum lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] concentrations and apolipoprotein(a) [apo(a)] phenotypes in 193 healthy Koreans. We analysed the apo(a) phenotypes by a simplified sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis method and classified apo(a) isoforms objectively using an apo(a) phenotype standard with a known number of kringle IV repeats. The frequency distribution of Lp(a) levels showed marked positive skew with a mean of 0·143 g/L and a median of 0·052 g/L. Of the 193 subjects tested, no bands were detected in three, and single- and double-band phenotypes were observed in 103 and 87, respectively. Among the Koreans, the most frequent phenotype was S5(39·4%), followed by S4S5(17·1%), S5S5(14·0%), S4(11·4%), S3S5(5·2%), and the remaining phenotypes (13·0%). The calculated apo(a) allele frequencies were Lp^F, 0·003; Lp^S1, 0·013; Lp^S2, 0·010; Lp^S3 0·048; Lp^S4 0·198; Lp^S5, 0·563 and Lp⁰, 0·165. We found that the serum Lp(a) concentration in Koreans was similar to that of Caucasians, but the apo(a) allele size distribution was shifted toward higher molecular weights.