Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a cytokine essential for angiogenesis. A recent study found that haplotypes, determined by three SNPs (-2,578C/A, - 1,154 G/A, and - 634G/C) in the VEGF upstream promoter/leader sequence, were associated with risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis(ALS). We used samples and data from a case-control study to examine the relation of ALS to VEGF haplotype. Genotypes at each of the three polymorphic sites were determined using allele-specific primer extension reactions followed by MALDI-TOF. We found a 3-fold increased risk among individuals homozygous for the AAG or AGG haplotypes (95%CI = 0.7 - 13.4), consistent with the findings of the previous study. Given the wide confidence interval, our findings should be interpreted cautiously.
        
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Terry PD, Kamel F, Umbach DM, Lehman TA, Hu H, Sandler DP, Taylor JA (2004) VEGF promoter haplotype and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) J Neurogenet18: 429-34
Terry PD, Kamel F, Umbach DM, Lehman TA, Hu H, Sandler DP, Taylor JA (2004) J Neurogenet18: 429-34