Summary
Platelets are critically involved in atherosclerosis and acute thrombosis. The platelet
phenotype shows a wide variability documented by the inherited difference of platelet
reactivity, platelet volume and count and function of platelet surface receptors.
Several candidate genes have been put into focus and investigated for their functional
and prognostic role in healthy individuals and patients with cardiovascular (CV) disease
treated with antiplatelet agents. In addition to genetic variation, other clinical,
disease-related and demographic factors are important so-called non-genetic factors.
Due to the small effect sizes of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in candidate
genes and due to the low allele frequencies of functional relevant candidate SNPs,
the identification of genetic risk factors with high predictive values generally depends
on the sample size of study cohorts. In the post-genome era new array and bioinformatic
technologies facilitate high throughput genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for
the identification of novel candidate genes in large cardiovascular cohorts. One of
the crucial aspects of platelet genomic studies is the precise definition of a specific
clinical phenotype (e.g. stent thrombosis) as this will impact importantly the findings
of genomic studies like GWAS. Here, we provide an update on genetic variation of platelet
receptors and drug metabolising enzymes under specific consideration of data derived
by GWAS. The potential impact of this information and the role in personalised therapeutic
concepts will be discussed.
Keywords
Platelet physiology - platelet pharmacology - polymorphisms