DNA POLYMORPHISMS AND LINKAGE DISEQUILIBRIUM IN THE ANGIOTENSINOGEN GENE

A number of recent studies have implicated the angiotensinogen gene in the aetiology of essential hypertension in Caucasian, Japanese and Af rican Caribbean subjects. We have genotyped 153 healthy white Caucasia n subjects at a dinucleotide repeat polymorphism and seven diallelic s ites in the coding or flanking regions of the angiotensinogen gene, in cluding one polymorphism not previously studied. We have also document ed patterns of linkage disequilibrium between polymorphisms. There is evidence of variation in the frequency of several mutations when compa red with published results from other Caucasian control populations, p ossibly due to cryptic ethnic differences between these groups. This s hould be considered in the design and interpretation of studies of the angiotensinogen gene.