No association of the Asp298 variant of the endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene with preeclampsia.
BACKGROUND
Preeclampsia, the most common serious complication of pregnancy, is characterized by vasoconstriction, dysfunction of the vascular endothelium, and hypertension. Unidentified genetic factors and impaired nitric oxide (NO)-mediated vasodilation are thought to contribute to the development of the syndrome. Polymorphisms of the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene affect NO production and have been associated with hypertension and preeclampsia in a Japanese population.


METHODS
We compared the frequency of the Glu298Asp eNOS polymorphism in 397 Hispanic and white normotensive pregnant control subjects with the gene frequencies in 64 women with preeclampsia (systolic blood pressure >140 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure >90 mm Hg, on at least two occasions 6 hours apart, and proteinuria >0.3 g/L or a dipstick proteinuria reading of 2+).


RESULTS
Preeclampsia was not associated with the presence of Asp at position 298 of eNOS.


CONCLUSIONS
In contrast to the findings in Japanese women, preeclampsia was not associated with the Asp variant of eNOS in an American population.
Landau
Ruth
R
Department of Anesthesiology, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, 630 West 168th Street, New York, NY 10032, USA.
Xie
Hong-Guang
HG
Dishy
Victor
V
Wood
Alastair J J
AJ
Stein
C Michael
CM
Smiley
Richard M
RM
D000328:Adult; D000483:Alleles; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000235:genetics; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003971:Diastole / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008429:Maternal Welfare; D009518:New York; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000235:genetics*; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III; D010298:Parity / Q000235:genetics; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000235:genetics*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011249:Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular / Q000201:enzymology; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013599:Systole / Q000235:genetics
C496314:NOS3 protein, human; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III