Objective-To characterize the genetic and clinical correlates of soluble P-selectin, and the relationship of P-selectin to atherosclerotic risk, in young European-American (EA) and African-American (AA) adults. Methods and Results-We assessed the interrelationships between 25 common SELP polymorphisms, soluble P-selectin, and atherosclerotic risk in 1222 EA and 1072 AA from the longitudinal population-based CARDIA study. Male sex, smoking, blood pressure, and metabolic status were strong cross-sectional correlates of soluble P-selectin among CARDIA subjects aged 33 to 45 years, explaining 13% of the variance. Among EAs, higher soluble P-selectin predicted carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) measured 5 years later, even after accounting for traditional risk factors. Common SELP nucleotide sequence variants explained 11% and 5% of the interindividual variation in soluble P-selectin levels in EAs and AAs, respectively. Four distinct variants contributed to P-selectin phenotype in EAs, including a polymorphism of the 5Ј SELP haplotype block associated with carotid IMT. Half of the phenotypic variation attributable to SELP in EAs could be explained by the Thr715Pro polymorphism, whereas Val599Leu was more strongly associated with soluble P-selectin among AAs. Key Words: P-selectin Ⅲ carotid atherosclerosis Ⅲ haplotype P -selectin (CD62P) is a cell adhesion receptor expressed mainly at the surface of platelets and endothelial cells and plays an important role in the early stages of atherosclerosis. 1 A soluble form of P-selectin lacking the transmembrane domain circulates in plasma. Increased soluble P-selectin levels are associated with various cardiovascular risk factors and occurrence or severity of acute and chronic cardiovascular disorders, primarily among older adults. [1][2][3][4][5][6] In some 7 but not all 8 cohorts of apparently healthy individuals, higher soluble P-selectin levels predicted future clinical cardiovascular events. Cross-sectional studies suggest soluble 9 or platelet 10 P-selectin is significantly correlated with subclinical atherosclerosis, even after accounting for known risk factors. Prospective data on soluble P-selectin as a predictor of early atherosclerotic disease, however, have not been previously reported.
Conclusions-CommonThe heritability of circulating P-selectin levels has been estimated between 45% and 70%. 4,5,11 The Thr715Pro polymorphism (rs6136) of the P-selectin gene (SELP) has been associated with lower soluble P-selectin levels, accounting for Ϸ10% to 20% of the variation in healthy EuropeanAmerican (EA) populations. [12][13][14][15][16] Other SELP polymorphisms, including Val599Leu (rs6133), appear to account for some of the residual variance in soluble P-selectin among EAs. 5,12,16 The Thr715Pro polymorphism is rare in people of African descent, 14,15 but little is known about determinants of soluble P-selectin among African-Americans (AA) or allelic heterogeneity of other SELP polymorphisms between population groups.Using data from a large well-characterized populati...