title: Xylosyltransferase gene variants and their role in essential hypertension.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  An accumulation of extracellular matrix molecules, such as proteoglycans, is observed in the vascular wall of hypertensive patients. Xylosyltransferases I and II (XT-I and XT-II), the chain-initiating enzymes in the biosynthesis of proteoglycans, catalyze the transfer of D-xylose from UDP-D-xylose to specific serine residues of the core protein. Because associations between XYLT polymorphisms and an altered blood pressure have been observed, genetic variations in the XYLT genes might predispose to essential hypertension. The localization of the XYLT2 gene on chromosome 17q increases its attractiveness as this region has been reported to be a potential candidate locus for essential hypertension.
  
  
  METHODS
  Genotyping of four polymorphisms in the genes XYLT1 and XYLT2 was performed in 150 unrelated essential hypertension patients and 150 age- and sex-matched normotensive controls using restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The allele and genotype frequencies of the XYLT variants investigated did not show any significant differences between patients and controls, among allele-carriers and nonallele-carriers and among recessive and nonrecessive allele-carriers comparing patients and controls. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures did not differ significantly between the genotypes concerning all XYLT variants analyzed. Two XYLT2 variants deviated from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) in the hypertensive group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  No statistically significant association was found between four XYLT variants and hypertension or blood pressure, suggesting that they do not play a significant role in the development of essential hypertension. The deviation from HWE of two XYLT2 variants might be due to gene-phenotype associations which remain to be explored, as well as the possibility of gene-gene interactions.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Laboratoriums- und Transfusionsmedizin, Herz- und Diabeteszentrum Nordrhein-Westfalen, Universitätsklinik der Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Bad Oeynhausen, Germany.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pönighaus
authors.forename: Helen J L
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Speirs
authors.forename: Brian J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kuhn
authors.forename: Knut
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kleesiek
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Götting
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D006239:Haplotypes; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010430:Pentosyltransferases / Q000235:genetics*; D000097608:UDP Xylose-Protein Xylosyltransferase
chemical_list: D010430:Pentosyltransferases; D000097608:UDP Xylose-Protein Xylosyltransferase