Contemporaneous carrier-state of two or three "proatherosclerotic" variants of APOE, ICAM1, PPARA and PAI-1 genes differentiate CAD patients from healthy individuals.

Background: Atherosclerosis is the most important cause of coronary artery disease (CAD). Genetic predisposition to CAD is related to polymorphisms of genes encoding products functionally involved in pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Polymorphisms of genes participating in monocyte adhesion and diapedesis, lipid metabolism and fibrinolysis regulation may be partially responsible for this process.

Carrier-state of D allele in ACE gene insertion/deletion polymorphism is associated with coronary artery disease, in contrast to the C677-->T transition in the MTHFR gene.

Angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE), which plays an important role in blood pressure regulation, and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) involved in homocysteine metabolism belong to a large group of polypeptides which may be potential risk factors for atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease (CAD). To assess whether polymorphisms of the genes encoding these peptides are associated with CAD in Silesian we conducted a study among 68 individuals suffering from CAD (including 52 cases after myocardial infarction), 51 subjects with positive family history of CAD and 111 controls. We analysed the distribution of genotypes and allele frequencies of the insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism in the ACE gene using PCR amplification, and the C677-->T polymorphism in the MTHFR gene using PCR-RFLP analysis.