Abstract
Vitamin K epoxide reductase (VKOR) catalyzes the reduction of vitamin K epoxide to vitamin K, which is inhibited by warfarin, a potent anticoagulant. Variants in VKOR complex subunit 1 (VKORC1) gene (+1173 C>T and -1639 G>A) are associated with warfarin sensitivity. Frequency of these polymorphisms is higher in Japanese and Chinese than in Caucasians, suggesting racial differences of warfarin sensitivity. In addition, genetic polymorphism of VKORC1 is a risk factor for vascular diseases, vascular calcification in patients with type 2 diabetes, and thrombosis in systemic lupus erythematosus patients.
