Polymorphism in the tissue factor region is associated with basal but not endotoxin‐induced tissue factor‐mRNA levels in leukocytes

Objective: Tissue factor (TF) plays a central role during disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) in sepsis. We hypothesized that a frequent D/I polymorphism, at nucleotide position −1208 in the promoter region, could influence TF‐mRNA and downstream coagulation. Methods: Basal‐ and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced TF‐mRNA expression, microparticle‐associated TF‐procoagulant activity and coagulation were determined in healthy men (n = 74) before and after endotoxin (LPS) infusion (2 ng kg−1). Basal values of TF‐mRNA ranged between 34 and >37.5 cycles. Results: Baseline TF‐mRNA levels significantly differed between genotypes: I/I carriers had almost 2‐fold higher TF‐mRNA levels compared to D/D carriers at baseline (P