Chinese Han Population Grk4 And Kng1 Gene And Essential Hypertension Association Studies

Background and Objective (Section One): It has been implicated that the G protein-coupled receptor kinase 4 was associated with HT, as it was involved in the desensitization of G protein-coupled receptors including the D₁ receptor. Dopamine exerted its natriuretic actions via the D₁-like and D2-like receptors located in the renal proximal tubule. In conditions of sodium excess, locally produced dopamine acted on renal tubule cells to inhibit sodium reabsorption[1].Three variants, R65L, A142V and A486V of the γ isoform of the GRK4, have been reported to affect the GRK activity, therefore resulting in increased serine phosphorylation of D₁ receptors and uncoupling of the receptor from its G-protein complex. A significant association (P=0.034) between V486 and an Italian population of mildly hypertensive patients was observed[2]. In another study the V486 allele was also found to be associated with HT (P=0.02), and additionally the L65 and the V142 alleles tracked with elevation in diastolic blood pressure (DBP), even though seen only in male HTs (P=0.009; P=0.002, respectively)[3]. Haplotype frequency differences between the HT and NT groups were also observed in this study, particularly for the R-V-V haplotype containing R65L, A142V and A486V[3].To investigate the association between polymorphisms in the G protein-coupled receptor kinase 4 gene (GRK4) (R65L, A142V and A486V) and essential hypertension in northern Han Chinese, we conducted this case-control study.Methods (Section One): We recruited 503 individuals with essential hypertension (HT) and 490 age-, gender-, and area-matched normotensive (NT) controls from the International Collaborative Study of Cardiovascular Disease in Asia (InterAsia)[4]. The samples involved 503 Northern Han Chinese. All hypertensive cases were defined as three consecutive blood pressure measurements ≥160 mmHg (systolic) or...