Polymorphism 4G/5G in the plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) gene is associated with IgE-mediated allergic diseases and asthma in the Czech population.

Background: Plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) is a glycoprotein that belongs to the serine protease inhibitor superfamily and has an essential role in tissue remodeling after inflammation. Recently, a single base pair deletion/insertion (4G/5G) polymorphism of the PAI-1 gene has been associated with an increased risk of asthma in nuclear families from the UK.
Methods: The present study was thus conducted to determine the association of this polymorphism with the development of IgE-mediated asthma and other allergic diseases in the Czech population. A case-control approach was used in our study. DNA taken from subjects with clinically manifested asthma and other allergic diseases (n = 207) and from reference ethnically age-gender-matched unrelated subjects (n = 186) was examined for base deletions/insertions in the PAI-1 gene.
Results: A significant association (P = 0.0035) was observed between the PAI-1 promoter polymorphism and IgE-mediated allergic diseases altogether. Furthermore, the 4G allele frequency was also significantly higher in the asthmatic patients than in the control group (P = 0.0148).
Conclusions: Our findings support the idea that the 4G allele of the 4G/5G polymorphism in the PAI-1 gene may be a risk factor for IgE-mediated asthma and allergic diseases.