Expression of endothelial intercellular adhesion molecule-1 is determined by genotype: effects on efficiency of leukocyte adhesion to human endothelial cells.

Two biallelic polymorphisms, previously described in the human intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1 gene at codon 241 (glycine [G] to arginine [R] substitution) and codon 469 (glutamic acid [E] to lysine [K] substitution) have been associated with a number of diseases including myocardial infarction, transplant rejection, and diabetes. However, the functional significance of these polymorphisms has not been determined. ICAM-1 cell surface expression and ICAM-1-mediated leukocyte adhesion were investigated using Cos7 transfected with ICAM-1 polymorphic variants or human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) of different ICAM-1 genotypes.