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Background and Purpose—There is convincing evidence that susceptibility to intracranial aneurysms (ICAs) has a genetic component. However, few studies have sought to identify functional variation in specific candidate genes that may predispose individuals to develop an ICA.

Methods—ICA cases and controls were genotyped for a simple length polymorphism in the promoter of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) to test for association between variation in the promoter and the occurrence of ICA. Alternative alleles were cloned into an in vitro reporter vector, transfected into human HT1080 fibroblasts, and assayed for promoter activity by β-gal and luciferase assays. Electrophoretic gel shift assays were used to assess nuclear factor binding.

Results—A length polymorphism in the promoter of MMP-9 was nonrandomly associated with the occurrence of ICA in a case-control study. This polymorphism was …