Angiotensinogen T174M and M235T Variants and Hypertension in the Hani and Yi Minority Groups of China

A case-control study of 538 individuals investigated whether the angiotensinogen gene (AGT) might be implicated in the pathogenesis of essential hypertension in the Hani and Yi populations of China. Genotypes for two diallelic DNA polymorphisms observed at amino acid residues 174 (T174M) and 235 (M235T) within the coding sequence were determined. M235T and T174M genotyping with PCR-RFLP was performed in 267 normotensive subjects and 271 hypertensive subjects. No significant difference was found between normotensives and hypertensives in genotype distribution and allele frequency for either M235T or T174M in the Hani or the Yi populations (P > 0.05). Relative to carriers of the 235T/235T and 174T/174T combination, the others had a significantly elevated risk of hypertension (OR = 1.62, 95% CI 1.02-2.59; P = 0.043) in the Hani population. The AGT M235T and T174M variants in combination may play a role in the genetic predisposition to develop essential hypertension in the Hani minority of China.