Analysis of coding sequences for tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases 1 (TIMP1) and 2 (TIMP2) in patients with aneurysms.

Aneurysms are characterized by dilation, i.e. expansion and thinning of all the arterial wall layers, which is accompanied by remodeling of the connective tissue. Genes involved in the regulation of tissue remodeling are therefore candidate genes. We analyzed TIMP1 and TIMP2 coding sequences in 12 individuals with abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA), one individual with AAA and intracranial aneurysms (IA), four individuals with IA and two clinically unaffected individuals. We identified two nucleotide variants in both the TIMP1 and the TIMP2 coding sequences. All differences occurred in the third base positions of codons and were neutral polymorphisms. A significant difference was observed in the frequency of TIMP2 nt 573 polymorphism between 168 alleles from AAA patients and 102 control alleles.