Association study between the variants of the human ANP gene and essentialhypertension

Variants of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) are reported to be more common in blacks with hypertension than in normotensive controls and constitute a n independent risk factor for cerebral infarction, The purpose of the prese nt study was to investigate the role of ANP in the pathogenesis of essentia l hypertension (EH) in the Japanese. We investigated 2 previously reported ANP gene markers, G1837A and T2238C, for their possible associations with E H, A total of 233 individuals with EH and 213 age-matched normotensive INT) control subjects were studied. The frequencies of the G and A alleles were 0.09 (42/466) and 0.91 (424/466), respectively, for the NT group and 0.11( 47/426) and 0.89(379/426), respectively, for the EH group. These frequencie s did not differ significantly between the two groups. The frequencies of t he T and C alleles were 0.024 (11/466) and 0.97 (455/466), respectively, fo r the NT group and 0.03 (13/426) and 0.97 (413/426), respectively, for the EH group, These frequencies also did not differ significantly between the t wo groups. Neither G1837A nor the T2238C polymorphism of the ANP gene was a ssociated with EH. Our findings do not support the hypothesis that the G183 7A and T2238C polymorphisms of the ANP gene are markers for EH in the Japan ese.