Renin - Angiotensin System Gene Polymorphisms With Coronary Artery Diseases

Background: Coronary artery disease (CAD) threatens people's health severely with high morbidity and mortality. CAD is a multifactorial and multigenic disease and influenced by both environmental and genetic factors. Traditional risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia and smoking can't account for the pathogenesis of CAD totally. More and more studies have proved that renin-angiotensin system (RAS) plays an important role in the development of CAD. The insertion/deletion polymorphism of the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) gene was first proved to be related to CAD and myocardial infarction (Ml). The DD homozygotes were founded to associate with the risk for Ml, especially in low-risk subjects. After that, the M235T variant of angiotensinogen (AGT) gene and A1166C variant of the angiotensin II type I receptor (AT₁R) have been found sequentially to relate to the risk for CAD or Ml. But the different studies from different countries have shown controversial results and some of them even were opposite totally.There are many evidences of a tight link between RAS and the fibrinolytic system. Increased levels of plasma plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) have been found in patients with angina and Ml. A lot of findings have revealed that the disturbence of fibronolytic system may be one of the most important mechanisms by which RAS can participate in the manifestations of CAD and Ml.Objectives: 1. To learn the distribution frequencies of ACE, AGT, genotypes in Chinese and to find the relationships between polymorphisms of ACE, AGT ang AT₁R gene with CAD and Ml and to study the interactions of themselves. 2. To investigate the influence of ACE I/D polymorphism on plasma...