高甘油三酯血症（HTG）是动脉粥样硬化（As）重要危险因素，最近引起全球高度关注。As是遗传和环境因素共同作用结果，但我国HTG人群发生As分子基础尚未明确。新近研究表明，表观遗传学是联系遗传-环境-疾病的纽带，调控基因表达。DNA甲基化是表观遗传主要内容之一，参与As发生；外周血DNA甲基化可作为疾病标志；我们前期发现患者颈As斑块中基因异常甲基化。故我们提出："HTG促进As相关基因异常甲基化"假说，本项目拟开展表观基因组关联研究（EWASs），以汉族单纯HTG合并颈As患者为研究对象，采用问卷调查，超声检测颈动脉内中膜厚度及斑块；采用全基因组芯片扫描DNA甲基化改变，COX、多元回归统计分析确定相关位点；经甲基化测序和差异蛋白表达验证，进而采用生物信息学预测可能改变的蛋白结构和功能及影响的信号通路，试图筛选到可作为识别HTG人群发生As的早期诊断标志物，为As早期诊断和干预提供依据。

Hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) is an important risk factor of atherosclerosis (As), which have caused worldwide concern. As is the combined results of the genetic and environmental factors, but the molecular basis of As in Chinese HTG is not yet clear. Recent studies have shown that epigenetics is the link contacting genetic - environment - disease and regulation of gene expression. DNA methylation is one of the main content of epigenetic, involved in the occurrence of As; peripheral blood DNA methylation can be used as a sign of disease; We found abnormal gene methylation in the carotid As plaque of patiens. Therefore, we propose the hypothesis: "HTG promote abnormal methylation of As related gene".This project intends to carry out Epigenome association studies (EWASs),taking the Han simple HTG patients with carotid As plaque as the research object , through questionnaires, using ultrasonic testing carotid intima-media thickness and patches, adopting the whole genome chip scanning DNA methylation change, using COX and multiple regression statistical analysis to identify related sites; verifying though methylation sequencing and expression of different protein, and then using bioinformatics to predict protein structure and function and involved signaling pathways which probably variate, attempting to screen early diagnostic markers which can be used to identify As of HTG population, and providing evidence for early diagnosis and intervention of As.