Presence of irregularity in region between -1115 and -784 nt in P1 promoter of insulin-like growth factor-1 gene may indicate beneficial effect on coronary arteries in a group of patients with stable angina: preliminary data.

Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) plays an important role in arterial homeostasis. Its properties seem to depend on circulating IGF-1 level changes. The various IGF-1 levels are caused by varied expression of IGF-1 gene, due to the polymorphic structure of IGF-1 gene or its regulatory sequences. We examined the P1 promoter, being responsible for most IGF-1 transcripts, in patients with stable angina, to evaluate its sequence changes and to assess its influence on protein synthesis as well as on the degree of arteriosclerosis. For that purpose we evaluated the DNA isolated from blood cells. The DNA was amplified by using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), then analyzed using the SSCP (single-strand conformation polymorphism) technique. Products of every stage were verified by electrophoresis on agarose gel. In addition, every patient had coronary angiography performed and IGF-1, IGFBP3, and lipid levels measured. The SSCP in the region between -1115 and -784 nt was less commonly observed among subjects with positive MI (myocardial infarction) familial history (P = 0.0008) and with MI history (P = 0.012) than in patients without these conditions. Subjects with this irregularity tended towards higher circulating IGF-1 levels. In addition high Gensini scores - over 95th percentile, 105 points in our study - were more frequent in SSCP patients (P = 0.03). We presume that presence of SSCP in the P1 region between -1115 and -784 nt may positively affect coronary arteries by increasing circulating IGF-1 levels, but its clinical importance requires molecular verification and further studies.