We recently identified a polymorphic Sp1 binding site in an enhancer at the tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) locus (tPA -7,351C/T), which was associated with vascular tPA release. Subjects homozygous for the -7,351C allele had twice the tPA release rate compared to subjects carrying the -7,351T allele. In this study we tested the hypothesis that the tPA -7,351C/T polymorphism is associated with myocardial infarction (MI). In a population-based prospective nested case-control study within northern Sweden, genotypes were determined among 61 MI cases and 120 controls. In a multivariate model, the tPA -7,351C/T polymorphism (OR 2.68 for T allele carriers; 95% CI 1.31-5.50), tPA antigen (OR 1.16; 95% CI 1.07-1.25) and apo A-I (OR, 0.997; 95% CI 0.995-0.999) were independently associated with a first MI. These findings suggest that genetic markers of local tPA release and circulating steady-state tPA levels carry independent prognostic information.