A Common Variant of Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase (Glu298Asp) Is an Independent Risk Factor for Carotid Atherosclerosis

Abstract
Background and Purpose—Endothelium-derived NO is formed from l-arginine by endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) encoded by the NOS 3 gene on chromosome 7. Because several studies have indicated that NO plays a key role in the development of the atherosclerotic process, we investigated whether common variants in the eNOS gene are associated with an increased risk of plaque on carotid arteries.