Association between Gly241Arg ICAM-1 gene polymorphism and serum sICAM-1 concentration in the Stanislas cohort

Intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), a cellular adhesion molecule that mediates the interaction of activated endothelial cells with leukocytes, is involved in various inflammatory and cardiovascular disorders. The relation between these markers and genetic polymorphism, however, remains to be elucidated. The aim of this study is to estimate the effect of a single-base polymorphism at codon 241 in exon 4 of ICAM-1 gene on serum sICAM-1 concentration in a healthy population, taking into account other biological determinants of sICAM-1 level. Serum sICAM-1 levels and the G/R241 polymorphism of the ICAM-1 gene were measured in a large healthy population consisting of 413 children aged 6-21 years and 363 adults aged 38-55 years extracted from the Stanislas cohort. The R241 allele was significantly associated with lower sICAM-1 levels and explained 3.4 and 1.9% of the sICAM-1 variability in children and adults, respectively. A codominant pattern contributed better to the model after adjustment for covariates as the RR homozygote effect was higher than that of the GR heterozygote. Moreover, significant independent associations were found between sICAM-1 and smoking, insulin resistance index (HOMA IR), interleukin-6 level, and alkaline phosphatase and aspartate aminotransferase activities. In conclusion, this study revealed a significant association between the G/R241 ICAM-1 polymorphism and serum sICAM-1 levels, probably due to the impairment in binding of ICAM-1 to leukocyte integrin Mac-1 protein.