Polymorphisms in four candidate genes in young patients with essential hypertension.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether four potential genetic factors (polymorphisms in genes for alpha-adducin, beta-adducin, the G-protein beta-3 subunit and nitric oxide synthase) are important for the development of essential hypertension (EH) in Slovenian children and young adults with EH.


METHODS
Both a nuclear families approach and case-control study have been performed. Genotyping of common polymorphisms in these genes using polymerase chain reaction was carried out in 104 nuclear families (an affected child, both parents) and in 200 control patients.


RESULTS
Using the transmission disequilibrium test, no statistically significant differences were found between the frequencies of transmitted and non-transmitted alleles in nuclear families for all four investigated polymorphisms. In addition, the distributions of genotypes and alleles for the four polymorphisms did not differ significantly between our children and 200 healthy control patients. The allele frequencies of all polymorphisms were concordant with those observed in some other Caucasian populations.


CONCLUSIONS
We found no association between the investigated gene variants and EH, so we conclude that they do not confer a significantly increased risk of the development of EH in the Slovenian population of hypertensive children.
Marcun Varda
Natasa
N
Department of Paediatrics, Maribor Teaching Hospital, Maribor, Slovenia. natasa.marcunvarda@amis.net
Zagradisnik
Boris
B
Herodez
Spela Stangler
SS
Kokalj Vokac
Nadja
N
Gregoric
Alojz
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002148:Calmodulin-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D020962:Heterotrimeric GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III / Q000235:genetics*; D009679:Nuclear Family; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D017524:Slovenia; D000099291:Adducins
D002148:Calmodulin-Binding Proteins; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D020962:Heterotrimeric GTP-Binding Proteins; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III; D000099291:Adducins; C501062:ADD2 protein, human; C454420:G-protein beta3 subunit; C496314:NOS3 protein, human