title: Association study of endometriosis and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) gene polymorphisms in a Japanese population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Endometriosis is an immune-related, chronic inflammatory disease with polygenic predisposition. Cell adhesion molecules are expressed in endometriotic lesions, and in cells and tissues that are involved in the development and progression of the disease. In this study, we investigated the possible association between endometriosis and the G241R and K469E polymorphisms in the intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) gene in a Japanese population.
  
  
  METHODS
  We compared the distribution of the G241R and K469E polymorphisms in the ICAM-1 gene in 126 endometriosis patients and 172 controls using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis in a Japanese population.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no significant differences between the cases and controls in the allele frequencies or genotype distributions of either the G241R or K469E polymorphisms in the ICAM-1 gene. The endometriosis patients were divided into a subgroup of women with severe disease only. However, no significant differences were observed in the allele frequencies and genotype distributions of the ICAM-1 K469E polymorphisms between this subgroup and the controls. In contrast, only one in 169 controls was heterozygous (G/A genotype), and the A allele in the G241R polymorphism was not found in any of the 126 endometriosis patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that the G241R and K469E polymorphisms in the ICAM-1 gene are unlikely to be associated with an increased risk of endometriosis in the Japanese population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan.
authors.forename: Masako
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamashita
authors.forename: Shigeki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kennedy
authors.forename: Noriyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ohara
authors.forename: Satoru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Motoyama
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Maruo
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004715:Endometriosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000235:genetics*; D007564:Japan; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length
chemical_list: D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1