Rs34210653

rs34210653 is a SNP in the ALOX15 gene, either encoding a threonine or a methionine at position 560 of the corresponding protein. This SNP is also known as T560M; the more common (C) allele encodes the threonine, and the rarer (T) allele encodes the methionine.

In mice, this protein appears to promote atherosclerosis, and mice completely lacking the entire gene are free of atherosclerosis. In contrast, rs34210653(T;T) humans, who effectively have a non-functioning variant, do not show a statistically significant decreased risk for coronary artery disease. And rs34210653(C;T) heterozygotes an increased risk of heart disease (adjusted odds ratio 1.62, p=0.02).