Association analyses of NsiI RFLP of human insulin receptor gene in hypertensives.

Plasma angiotensinogen is elevated in essential hypertensives and shows a strong correlation with blood pressure. Patients with hypertension often display insulin resistance and we have found previously an association of a RsaI RFLP in intron 9 of the insulin receptor gene (INSR) with hypertension. Since insulin resistance is accompanied by hyperinsulinaemia and insulin can stimulate angiotensinogen production, we hypothesized that hypertension-associated genotypes of INSR may be associated with elevation in plasma angiotensinogen. We used PCR to detect a NsiI RFLP in exon 8 of INSR and examined its relationship with plasma angiotensinogen, as well as hypertension, in 134 Caucasian hypertensives with two hypertensive parents and in 126 normotensives. Plasma angiotensinogen tracked weakly with the major allele of the NsiI RFLP in hypertensives (p = 0.08). Moreover, the frequency of this allele was higher in lean hypertensives than in lean normotensives (p < 0.05) and in normolipidaemic hypertensives than normolipidaemic normotensives (p < 0.02). The present study thus suggests that there could be a relationship of plasma angiotensinogen with INSR genotype, and of each with hypertension.