Genetic analysis of MMP3, MMP9, and PAI-1 in Finnish patients with abdominal aortic or intracranial aneurysms

MMP3, MMP9, and PAI-1 are present at increased levels in abdominal aortic a neurysms (AAAs), The promoters of these genes contain polymorphisms, with a lleles that exhibit different transcriptional activities in vitro. Associat ion studies were performed using these polymorphisms and DNA isolated from 47 AAA patients, 57 intracranial aneurysm (IA) patients, and 174 controls, all from Finland, PAI-1 and MMP9 genotypes did not associate with aneurysms , The frequency of the 5A MMP3 allele was somewhat higher in the AAA than t hat in the control group (P = 0.0609 after Bonferroni correction), whereas the MMP3 allele frequencies in the IA group did not differ from those of th e controls (P = 0.9667), These findings suggest that the transcriptionally more active 5A MMP3 allele might be a genetic risk factor for AAA among Fin ns. They are in agreement with previous studies demonstrating higher level of MMP3 expression in AAA than in controltissues. (C) 1999 Academic Press.