title: Role of tagged SNPs of the AGT gene in causing susceptibility to essential hypertension.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Angiotensinogen (AGT) is one of the candidate genes that has been extensively investigated for association of its variants with essential hypertension. Studies focusing on the contribution of tagged single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the AGT gene are limited and lacking from Indian population. Hence, the present study was carried out to examine the role of five tagged SNPs viz., g.6147G>A (rs7539020), g.5978A>G (rs2493134); g.6241T>C (rs1078499), g.7781G>T (rs11122577), and g.5855G>A (rs3789678) in the development of hypertension.
  
  
  METHODS
  202 hypertensives and 222 normotensives were screened for five tagged SNPs using the method of polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The present study revealed significant association of g.5855G>A polymorphism with essential hypertension in different logistic regression models wherein protection was conferred by g.5855G>A against developing the condition. The polymorphism led to the creation of new exonic splicing enhancer and destruction of exonic splicing silencer site thereby enhancing the process of mRNA splicing. The haplotypes AGTG and GACG were found to have a significant protective effect. Other polymorphisms did not show any significant association with hypertension.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study is the first one to report the protective role of g.5855G>A polymorphism in the development of essential hypertension. The results reflect possibility of ethnic variation in the contribution of g.5855G>A polymorphism of the AGT gene to essential hypertension.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Genetics , Osmania University , Hyderabad , India.
authors.forename: Padma
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gunda
authors.affiliation: a Department of Genetics , Osmania University , Hyderabad , India.
authors.forename: Swapna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nagalingam
authors.affiliation: a Department of Genetics , Osmania University , Hyderabad , India.
authors.forename: Padma
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tirunilai
mesh_terms: D000808:Angiotensinogen / Q000235:genetics*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D000075222:Essential Hypertension; D005091:Exons; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006239:Haplotypes; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D065840:Protective Factors
chemical_list: C534931:AGT protein, human; D000808:Angiotensinogen
keywords: Angiotensinogen; essential hypertension; polymorphism; protective effect; tagged SNPs