The 825C/T polymorphism of the G-protein subunit β3 does not influence blood pressure and renal function in kidney transplant recipients

Background. Recently, a polymorphism at position 825 (C-->T) of the cDNA that encodes the beta 3 subunit of heterotrimeric G proteins (G beta 3) was found to be associated with essential hypertension. The T allele leads to the formation of a truncated splice variant (G beta 3-s) with enhanced activity, promoting hypertension. We examined whether the T allele had an influence on blood pressure (BP) and early renal function after renal transplantation. Methods. We determined the G beta 3 genotype and T allele frequencies in renal transplant patients and examined associations with BP, BP medications, and renal function in the first year after transplantation. Results, In renal transplant recipients (n = 216) the frequency of the T allele was marginally increased (0.34 vs 0.29) compared with normal healthy blood donors (n = 163. Age, sex and body mass index were similar in patients with the CC, CT and TT genotype. BP, number of BP medications, and serum creatinine levels were also similar for the three genotypes within the first year after transplantation. Significantly more patients with the TT genotype (48%) had glomerulonephritis as the underlying renal disease, compared with the CT (29%) and CC (27%) genotypes. Conclusions. The T allele of G beta 3 does not have a negative impact on BP and early renal function in recipients of a renal allograft. The T allele might play a role in the pathogenesis of chronic glomerulonephritides.