Platelet-endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 gene polymorphism and its soluble level are associated with ischemic stroke.

Inflammation, characterized by the recruitment and adhesion of circulating leukocytes by cellular adhesion molecules, plays an important role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Genetic analyses of platelet-endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM-1), a key adhesion molecule in the progression of atherosclerosis, have provided conflicting results regarding the role of variation within the PECAM-1 gene and risk for coronary heart disease. No studies have examined the association of this polymorphism with ischemic stroke. Therefore, we investigated that PECAM-1 gene polymorphism and its soluble level are associated with ischemic stroke in Chinese population. We analyzed single-nucleotide polymorphisms of PECAM-1 gene Leu125Val, Asn563Ser, and Gly670Arg in 265 patients with ischemic stroke and 280 age- and sex-matched controls, using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism and DNA sequencing method, while soluble PECAM-1 (sPECAM-1) levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. There were significant differences in the genotype and allele frequencies of PECAM-1 gene Leu125Val polymorphism between the group of patients with ischemic stroke and the control group (p < 0.05). sPECAM-1 levels were increased in patients with ischemic stroke compared with controls (p < 0.01). Moreover, genotypes carrying the PECAM-1 125Val variant allele were associated with increased PECAM-1 levels compared to the homozygous wild-type genotype in patients with ischemic stroke. The Leu125Val polymorphism of PECAM-1 and its sPECAM-1 levels are associated with ischemic stroke in Chinese population. Our data suggest that the PECAM-1 gene may play a role in the development of ischemic stroke.