The glycine allele of a glycine/arginine polymorphism in the beta2-adrenergic receptor gene is associated with essential hypertension in a population of Chinese origin.
BACKGROUND
Several studies implicate polymorphisms in the human beta-adrenergic receptor gene (ADRB2) in the susceptibility to hypertension. We sought to replicate these results in a population of Chinese origin primarily from Taiwan and the San Francisco Bay area.


METHODS
We genotyped >800 hypertensive subjects and individuals with low-normal blood pressure that were derived largely from the same families as the hypertensive patients for three polymorphisms in the ADRB2 gene: a C/T transition at position 47 (C-47T) in the 5' leader cistron; another C/T transition that results in a glycine/ arginine substitution at codon 16 (Gly16Arg), and a G/C transversion that causes a glutamate/glutamine substitution at codon 27 (Glu27Gln).


RESULTS
The Gly16Arg was significantly associated with hypertension (P < .03). Under a dominant model, for hypertension the relative risk for the Gly/Gly and Gly/Arg genotypes versus the Arg/Arg genotype was 1.35 (95% confidence limits [CL] 1.08, 1.70); for low-normal blood pressure the relative risk was 0.79 (95% CL 0.66, 0.94). This polymorphism explained approximately 1% of the variance in systolic and diastolic blood pressures in our study population. There was no evidence of association between the C-47T and Glu27Gln polymorphisms and hypertension in this population.


CONCLUSIONS
The Glyl6 allele in the beta2-adrenergic receptor gene is a susceptibility allele for essential hypertension in a population of Chinese origin.
Ranade
K
K
Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, California, USA. koustubh.ranade@bms.com
Shue
W H
WH
Hung
Y J
YJ
Hsuing
C A
CA
Chiang
F T
FT
Pesich
R
R
Hebert
J
J
Olivier
M
M
Chen
Y D
YD
Pratt
R
R
Olshen
R
R
Curb
D
D
Botstein
D
D
Risch
N
N
Cox
D R
DR
D001120:Arginine / Q000235:genetics; D044466:Asian People / Q000235:genetics*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000235:genetics; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D005998:Glycine / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D018343:Receptors, Adrenergic, beta-2 / Q000235:genetics*
D018343:Receptors, Adrenergic, beta-2; D001120:Arginine; D005998:Glycine