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Letter

Nature Genetics 38, 68–74 (1 January 2006) | doi:10.1038/ng1692

A variant of the gene encoding leukotriene A4 hydrolase confers ethnicity-specific risk of myocardial infarction

Anna Helgadottir , Andrei Manolescu , Agnar Helgason , Gudmar Thorleifsson , Unnur Thorsteinsdottir , Daniel F Gudbjartsson , Solveig Gretarsdottir , Kristinn P Magnusson , Gudmundur Gudmundsson , Andrew Hicks , Thorlakur Jonsson , Struan F A Grant , Jesus Sainz , Stephen J O'Brien , Sigurlaug Sveinbjornsdottir , Einar M Valdimarsson , Stefan E Matthiasson , Allan I Levey , Jerome L Abramson , Murdach P Reilly , Viola Vaccarino , Megan L Wolfe , Vilmundur Gudnason , Arshed A Quyyumi , Eric J Topol , Daniel J Rader , Gudmundur Thorgeirsson , Jeffrey R Gulcher , Hakon Hakonarson , Augustine Kong & Kari Stefansson

Variants of the gene ALOX5AP (also known as FLAP) encoding arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase activating protein are known to be associated with risk of myocardial infarction. Here we show that a haplotype (HapK) spanning the LTA4H gene encoding leukotriene A4 hydrolase, a protein in the same biochemical pathway as ALOX5AP, confers modest risk of myocardial infarction in an Icelandic cohort.