Role of thrombomodulin gene in Indian population with coronary artery disease

Abstract

Context: Thrombomodulin (TM), a natural anticoagulant have been implicated in the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease (CAD) thus emphasizing its potential role as a biomarker.

Objectives: To investigate the role of the TM genetic variants and soluble TM (sTM) plasma levels in Indian population with CAD.

Materials and methods: This case–control study involved genotyping of the entire TM gene and sTM levels estimation in 266 subjects.

Results: None of the four TM genetic variants identified significantly increased CAD risk in the study population. However, further subgroup analysis revealed that in subjects ≤49 years, C1418T variant (Ala455Val substitution) was significantly associated with CAD.

Conclusion: The increased CAD risk in subjects ≤49 years due to TM Ala455Val substitution is a promising finding. Further validation on large Indian cohorts is required in order to screen asymptomatic young subjects for CAD risk and to establish the clinical utility of Ala455Val substitution.

Keywords::

• Atherosclerosis
• coagulation
• fibrinolysis
• thrombin receptor
• thrombomodulin variants
• thrombosis