The association of protein S Tokushima-K196E with a risk of deep vein thrombosis

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a multifactorial disease caused by acquired risk factors such as a bed rest, surgery and malignancies. Although the factor V Leiden and the prothrombin-20210G>A mutation do not exist in Japanese populations, a mutation in protein S (PS) Tokushima (K196E) has been attracting attention in Japan. In this study, the genetic contribution of PS Tokushima (K196E) was evaluated in 60 Japanese patients with thrombosis in comparison to 234 healthy volunteers and 88 patients without thrombosis. Genes associated with the response to warfarin, cytochrome P450 2C9 (CYP2C9), vitamin K epoxide reductase complex subunit 1 (VKORC1), and γ-glutamyl carboxylase (GGCX) were also investigated simultaneously. PS Tokushima (K196E) was detected in 6 patients with thrombosis, in 3 without thrombosis and in 3 healthy volunteers, indicating that there is a high frequency of the PS Tokushima (K196E). There were no significant differences of CYP2C9, VKORC1 or GGCX between the patients with and without DVT. Therefore, PS Tokushima (K196E) is an important genetic risk factor for DVT in the Japanese population.