The Leu554Phe polymorphism in the E-selectin gene is associated with blood pressure in overweight people.

Abstract

Associations between circulating concentrations of E-selectin, blood pressure and obesity, and between the Leu554Phe (L/F554) polymorphism and blood pressure have been documented. To investigate how the E-selectin L/F554 polymorphism is involved in longitudinal blood pressure changes, and how this polymorphism interacts with body mass index (BMI) on blood pressure. For this study, 478 men and 546 women were selected from the Stanislas cohort, a French longitudinal study of volunteers for a free health check-up. These individuals underwent two examinations (t(0) and t(+5)) and were not taking medication that can affect blood pressure. At t(0), no relationship was observed between L/F554 polymorphism and blood pressure. However at t(+5), systolic blood pressure (SBP) was greater in individuals carrying the F allele, and the L/F554 polymorphism was associated with SBP in interaction with BMI (P < 0.001 in men and P < 0.05 for women). There was a steeper increase in SBP with BMI greater than 25 kg/m2 in carriers of the F allele than in LL homozygotes. Similar results were observed for diastolic blood pressure in men (P = 0.0103). These results suggest a BMI-specific effect of L/F554 polymorphism of the E-selectin gene on blood pressure, and strengthen the hypothesis that E-selectin is implicated in hypertension.