Anthropol Anz 2001;59(4):343-53

Bone mineral density is associated with estrogen receptor gene polymorphism in men.

Sapir-Koren R, Livshits G, Landsman T, Kobyliansky E.

Research Unit-Human Population Biology, Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv-University, Ramat Aviv, Israel.

In order to identify genetic effects of allelic variation on bone mineral density (BMD), association studies have been performed recently.

Examining the relation between PvuII and XbaI restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLPs) at the estrogen receptor (ER alpha) gene and BMD, in women or men, have yielded conflicting results.

We analyzed the association between this polymorphism and BMD Z score values of cancellous bone at the 3rd finger in 344 members of nuclear families of European population, Chuvasha, living in Russia. The population sample included 183 males, aged 18-84, and 161 females, aged 23-79. The analysis has been performed separately for both sexes and for both generations (parents and offspring).

We used a novel direct haplotyping method, which determines simultaneously each of the PvuII and XbaI RFLPs and their relation to each other.

The haplotypes were represented as the combination of both polymorphic sites on the same chromosome, by using P/p and X/x for PvuII and XbaI restriction sites, respectively.

The subjects were classified into 3 groups of genotypes: A = PXPX (homozygote for the PX haplotype); B = PXPx, PXpx (the heterozygotes for the PX haplotype); C = PxPx, Pxpx, pxpx (genotypes that are lacking the PX haplotype).

The PXPX genotype (A) was associated with higher BMD Z score values in comparison to the genotypes that are lacking the PX haplotype (C), in total males [0.618 vs. -0.133 (p = 0.004)] and for the "sons" generation [0.724 vs. -0.198 (p = 0.02)].

Similar tendency was observed for the "fathers" generation (0.539 vs. -0.085), though the difference did not approach statistical significance (p = 0.087).

These findings were not found in the female samples, nor in the "mothers" or "daughters" generations. The question if there are differences in the mode of action of estrogen through its receptor on bone mass, between the genders or between the males' generations, have to be further investigated.