Altered frequency of a promoter polymorphism of the kinin B 2 receptor gene in hypertensive African-Americans

Abstract

Components of the kallikrein kinin system have been associated with the pathophysiology of hypertension in animal and human studies. In this study, we examined the distribution of four different polymorphisms of the kinin B 1 and B 2 receptor genes in a population of 120 normotensive and 77 hypertensive African-Americans. Allelic frequencies for three of the four polymorphisms were significantly different from those previously reported in Caucasian populations. Among the polymorphisms analyzed, a potentially functionally significant polymorphism in the core promoter of the kinin B 2 receptor (C −58→T transition) displayed an increased prevalence of the C −58 allele in the hypertensive patients as compared with the controls (0.75 v 0.62, P = .009). Thus, this B 2 receptor promoter polymorphism may represent a susceptibility marker for essential hypertension in African-Americans.