Thrombosis Research 89 (1998) 85–89 BRIEF COMMUNICATION Lack of Association between Platelet Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa Receptor Pl A Polymorphism and Coronary Artery Disease or Carotid Intima-Media Thickness Uttam C. Garg 1 , Donna K. Arnett 2 , Aaron R. Folsom 2 , Michael A. Province 3 , Roger R. Williams 4 and John H. Eckfeldt 1 1 Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, School of Medicine; 2 Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota; 3 Division of Biostatistics, School of Medicine, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri; 4 Cardiovascular Genetics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah. (Received 30 August 1997 by Editor S. Niewiarowski; revised/accepted 11 November 1997) Key Words: Platelet receptors; IIb/IIIa polymorphism; tients with angiographically documented coronary Carotid intima-media thickness; Coronary heart disease artery disease (104 also with myocardial infarction) no association of the Pl A2 polymorphism and myo- P latelet aggregation plays an important role cardial infarction was found [10]. A third study in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, throm- found a trend toward a higher prevalence of Pl A2 bosis, and acute coronary syndromes [1]. polymorphism in patients with a history of myocar- The platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor is a piv- dial infarction, although this trend was not statis- otal mediator of platelet aggregation [2]; fibrinogen tically significant [11]. To further evaluate the im- and von Willebrand factor bind to the glycoprotein portance of this polymorphism, we examined the IIb/IIIa receptor on the platelet surface [3–5], relationship of the Pl A2 polymorphism with early- forming bridges between adjacent platelets, facili- onset coronary heart disease and ultrasound mea- tating platelet aggregation. Alterations in the gly- sures of carotid intima-media thickness in a popula- coprotein IIb/IIIa receptor change the affinity of tion-based sample of adults, enriched with families this receptor for fibrinogen. Inhibitors of the glyco- with early-onset coronary heart disease. protein IIb/IIIa receptor which bind to the receptor and block the binding of fibrinogen are used in 1. Materials and Methods patients undergoing coronary angioplasty and those with unstable angina and acute myocardial 1.1. Selection of Study infarction [6–8]. A polymorphism of the glycoprotein IIIa gene Subjects and Examination Methods (Pl A2 ) was recently characterized. A strong associa- tion between the polymorphism Pl A2 (substitution Data for this study were collected as part of the NHLBI Family Heart Study (FHS). FHS was de- of cytosine for thymidine at position 1565 in exon signed to investigate genetic and non-genetic deter- 2) and coronary thrombosis in kindreds with a high minants of coronary heart disease (CHD), athero- prevalence of premature myocardial infarction was sclerosis, and cardiovascular risk factors [12]. A recently reported [9]. In another study of 180 pa- subset of 1292 adults (n=515 families) was sampled from the FHS population and included (1) sibships Corresponding author: Dr. Donna Arnett, Division of Epidemiol- in which at least two of the siblings were CHD- ogy, University of Minnesota, 1300 South Second Street, Suite 300, affected full siblings; (2) sibships in which at least Minneapolis, MN. Fax: 612-624-0315; E-mail: arnett@epivax. epi.umn.edu. one sibling was above the 90th percentile of the 0049-3848/98 $19.00 + .00  1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. Printed in the USA. All rights reserved. PII S0049-3848(97)00295-8