Effect of the angiotensinogen gene Met235-->Thr variant on blood pressure and other cardiovascular risk factors in two Japanese populations.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the gene frequency of the T235 allele and its relationship with hypertension in two Japanese populations.

METHODS

T235 was investigated by restriction fragment length polymorphism using the polymerase chain reaction technique in 213 Japanese males aged 40-59 years, who were randomly selected from participants in the Jichi Medical School Cohort Study (Awaji-Hokudan population, n = 157; Niigata-Yamato population, n = 56).

RESULTS

The gene frequency of the T235 allele in the two populations was very similar (Awaji-Hokudan 0.65, Niigata-Yamato 0.62; mean 0.64). The T235 frequency was 0.60 in normotensive males, approximately 1.2- to 1.7-fold that in Caucasians. Hypertension, in particular that associated with a positive family history of hypertension, was more common in individuals homozygous for the T235 allele. The levels of total cholesterol, blood glucose and fibrinogen showed a weak and non-significant relationship with the angiotensinogen genotype.

CONCLUSION

The T235 angiotensinogen allele was more common in Japanese than in Caucasians, and was a predisposing factor for hypertension.