Prostacyclin Synthase Gene: Implication and Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease

Prostacyclin (PGI2) inhibits platelet aggregation, and vasoconstriction. Prostacyclin synthase (PGIS), a catalyst of PGI2 formation from prostaglandin H2, is widely distributed and predominantly found in vascular endothelial and smooth muscle cells. The PGIS gene is localized to 20q13.11-13 and thought to be a candidate gene for cardiovascular disease. Several mutations and polymorphisms in the gene were reported to be associated with cardiovascular diseases. These results suggest that PGI2 function depends on the different alleles of the PGIS gene and may influence the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Thus, tailor-made management, such as the administration of PGI2 analogs, may be selected on the basis of individual variants of this gene for prevention of cardiovascular diseases.