Hypertension, thermotolerance, and the "African gene": an hypothesis.
Hypertension is a polygenic disease of world-wide concern. So far, no polygenic disease has been solved at the genetic level. Ethnic differences in the prevalence of hypertension may suggest candidate genes worthy of study. A strong genetic predisposition to hypertension and target organ damage appears to correlate with African ancestry, referred to as "the African gene." Sub-Saharan Africans have endured the selective pressure of extreme heat for thousands of generations. Polymorphisms in the renin-angiotensin system, such as the recently described insertion/deletion polymorphism in the angiotensin I converting enzyme (ACE) gene, may predispose to hypertension and related disorders because of an advantage they confer in thermoregulation.
Moskowitz
D W
DW
Hypertension Section, VA Medical Center, St. Louis, Missouri 63106, USA.
D000803:Angiotensin I / Q000235:genetics; D000804:Angiotensin II / Q000235:genetics; D044383:Black People / Q000235:genetics*; D001833:Body Temperature Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D017353:Gene Deletion; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A / Q000235:genetics; D015995:Prevalence; D012084:Renin-Angiotensin System / Q000235:genetics*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D001741:Black or African American
D000804:Angiotensin II; D000803:Angiotensin I; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A