Heme oxygenase-1 gene promoter polymorphism is associated with coronary artery disease in Japanese patients with coronary risk factors.
OBJECTIVE
Heme oxygenase (HO) is important in the defense against oxidative stress and as a factor in an antiatherogenic mechanism. Compared with long (GT)(n) repeats, short (GT)(n) repeats in the human HO-1 gene promoter were shown to have higher transcriptional activity in response to oxidative stress. There is a strong link between oxidative stress and the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease (CAD).


RESULTS
We screened the allelic frequencies of (GT)(n) repeats in the HO-1 gene promoter in 577 patients who underwent coronary angiography. Because the distribution of numbers of (GT)(n) repeats was bimodal, we divided the alleles into 2 subclasses: class S included shorter (<27) repeats, and class L included longer (> or =27) repeats. Multivariate logistic regression models including standard coronary risk factors revealed that the genotypes were significantly related to CAD status in hypercholesterolemic, diabetic patients or in smokers. In this study, the patients with shorter GT repeats were less likely to have CAD.


CONCLUSIONS
Length polymorphism in the HO-1 gene promoter is related to CAD susceptibility in Japanese people who also have coronary risk factors such as hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, and smoking. HO-1 may play an antiatherogenic role in Japanese patients with these coronary risk factors.
Kaneda
Hideaki
H
Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Ohno
Minoru
M
Taguchi
Junichi
J
Togo
Masako
M
Hashimoto
Hideki
H
Ogasawara
Ken
K
Aizawa
Tadanori
T
Ishizaka
Nobukazu
N
Nagai
Ryozo
R
D000483:Alleles; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D018900:Dinucleotide Repeats / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D005787:Gene Frequency / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics; D006147:Guanine / Q000502:physiology; D006419:Heme Oxygenase (Decyclizing) / Q000235:genetics*; D051547:Heme Oxygenase-1; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D008875:Middle Aged; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D013941:Thymine / Q000502:physiology
D008565:Membrane Proteins; D006147:Guanine; C496541:HMOX1 protein, human; D006419:Heme Oxygenase (Decyclizing); D051547:Heme Oxygenase-1; D013941:Thymine