Effect of the angiotensinogen gene Met235Thr 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.