Novel association of ABO histo-blood group antigen with soluble ICAM-1: results of a genome-wide association study of 6,578 women.

• Main Authors: Guillaume Paré, Daniel I Chasman, Mark Kellogg, Robert Y L Zee, Nader Rifai, Sunita Badola, Joseph P Miletich, Paul M Ridker
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2008-07-01
• Series: PLoS Genetics
• Online Access: http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC2432033?pdf=render

While circulating levels of soluble Intercellular Adhesion Molecule 1 (sICAM-1) have been associated with diverse conditions including myocardial infarction, stroke, malaria, and diabetes, comprehensive analysis of the common genetic determinants of sICAM-1 is not available. In a genome-wide association study conducted among 6,578 participants in the Women's Genome Health Study, we find that three SNPs at the ICAM1 (19p13.2) locus (rs1799969, rs5498 and rs281437) are non-redundantly associated with plasma sICAM-1 concentrations at a genome-wide significance level (P<5x10(-8)), thus extending prior results from linkage and candidate gene studies. We also find that a single SNP (rs507666, P = 5.1x10(-29)) at the ABO (9q34.2) locus is highly correlated with sICAM-1 concentrations. The novel association at the ABO locus provides evidence for a previously unknown regulatory role of histo-blood group antigens in inflammatory adhesion processes.