Interaction of the C-344T polymorphism ofCYP11b2gene with body mass index and waist circumference affecting diastolic blood pressure in Chinese Mongolian population

Body mass index modulates blood pressure heritability: the Family Blood Pressure Program

BACKGROUND

Candidate gene and twin studies suggest that interactions between body mass index (BMI) and genes contribute to the variability of blood pressure (BP). To determine whether there is evidence for gene-BMI interactions, we investigated the modulation of BP heritability by BMI using 4,153 blacks, 1,538 Asians, 4,013 whites, and 2,199 Hispanic Americans from the Family Blood Pressure Program.

METHODS

To capture the BP heritability dependence on BMI, we employed a generalized variance components model incorporating linear and Gaussian interactions between BMI and the genetic component. Within each race and network subgroup, we used the Akaike information criterion and likelihood ratio test to select the appropriate interaction function for each BP trait (systolic BP (SBP), diastolic BP (DBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and pulse pressure (PP)) and determine interaction significance, respectively.

RESULTS

BP heritabilities were significantly modified by BMI in the GenNet and SAPPHIRe Networks, which contained the youngest and least-obese participants, respectively. GenNet Whites had unimodal SBP, MAP, and PP heritabilities that peaked between BMI values of 33 and 37kg/m(2). The SBP and MAP heritabilities in GenNet Hispanic Americans, as well as the PP heritability in GenNet blacks, were increasing functions of BMI. The DBP and SBP heritabilities in the SAPPHIRe Chinese and Japanese, respectively, were decreasing functions of BMI.

CONCLUSIONS

BP heritability differed by BMI in the youngest and least-obese networks, although the shape of this dependence differed by race. Use of nonlinear gene-BMI interactions may enhance BP gene discovery efforts in individuals of European ancestry.

Association between cytochrome P450 promoter polymorphisms and ischemic stroke

The human cytochrome P450 (CYP) superfamily includes at least 57 genes that encode enzymes with diverse metabolic and biosynthetic functions. This study was conducted in order to investigate the associations between polymorphisms in CYP superfamily genes (CYP11B2, CYP17A1, CYP2B6, CYP2C9, CYP2E1 and CYP7A1) and ischemic stroke (IS). Six single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of CYP superfamily genes were selected and genotyped by direct sequencing in 121 patients with IS and 321 control subjects. The genetic data were analyzed using SNPStats and SPSS 18.0. Multiple logistic regression models (codominant 1, codominant 2, dominant, recessive and log-additive) were used to evaluate odds ratios (ORs), 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and p-values. The rs179998 SNP of CYP11B2 was significantly associated with IS (p=0.0336 in a log-additive model). The rs3813867 SNP of CYP2E1 was significantly associated with smoking in IS (p=0.0336 in a log-additive model). The rs1799998 SNP of CYP11B2 and rs3808607 of CYP7A1 were related to diabetes mellitus in IS (p<0.05). CYP11B2, CYP2E1 and CYP7A1 SNPs were associated with IS in the population studied. Further study is required to confirm these associations and to determine their biological significance.

Between candidate genes and whole genomes: time for alternative approaches in blood pressure genetics

Blood pressure has a significant genetic component, but less than 3% of the observed variance has been attributed to genetic variants identified to date. Candidate gene studies of rare, monogenic hypertensive syndromes have conclusively implicated several genes altering renal sodium balance, and studies of essential hypertension have inconsistently implicated over 50 genes in pathways affecting renal sodium balance and other functions. Genome-wide linkage scans have replicated numerous quantitative trait loci throughout the genome, and over 50 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been replicated in multiple genome-wide association studies. These studies provide considerable evidence that epistasis and other interactions play a role in the genetic architecture of blood pressure regulation, but candidate gene studies have limited scope to test for epistasis, and genome-wide studies have low power for both main effects and interactions. This review summarizes the genetic findings to date for blood pressure, and it proposes focused, pathway-based approaches involving epistasis, gene-environment interactions, and next-generation sequencing to further the genetic dissection of blood pressure and hypertension.