Lack of association between the platelet glycoprotein Ia C807T gene polymorphism and myocardial infarction in Japanese - An approach entailing melting curve analysis with specific fluorescent hybridization probes

The platelet-collagen receptor, glycoprotein Ia/IIa (integrin alpha (2)beta (1)) plays a fundamental role in the adhesion of platelets to fibrillar co llagen, an event leading to platelet activation and thrombus formation and contributing to the pathogenesis of thrombotic disease. Further, glyco prot ein Ia/IIa receptor density and function may be associated with two linked and silent polymorphisms (C-807/T and (873)G/A) within the glycoprotein Ia gene. We tested the extent to which these polymorphisms serve as genetic ma rkers of myocardial infarction in a Japanese population. A case-control stu dy was carried out using 210 Japanese myocardial infarction patients and 42 0 age- and sex-matched controls. Genotyping was accomplished using PCR foll owed by melting curve analysis with specific fluorescent hybridization prob es. The (CC)-C-807. CT, TT genotypes linked perfectly to the (873)GG, GA, A A genotypes, respectively. Allele frequencies of the T-807 ((873)A) variant were similar in the control and patient groups (0.373 vs. 0.352). The T-80 7 and (873)A variants of platelet glycoprotein la gene are common and in a perfect linkage in the Japanese population, but it appears unlikely that th e T-807 ((873)A) variant represents a useful marker of increased risk for m yocardial infarction.