Background: Several studies implicate polymorphisms in the human beta (2)-adrenergic receptor gene (ADRB2) in the susceptibility to hypertension. We sought to replicate these results in a population of Chinese origin primarily from Taiwan and the San Francisco Bay area. Methods: We genotyped > 800 hypertensive subjects and individuals with low-normal blood pressure that were derived largely from the same families as the hypertensive patients for three polymorphisms in the ADRB2 gene: a C/T transition at position 47 (C-47T) in the 5' leader cistron another C/T transition that results in a glycine/arginine substitution at codon 16 (Gly16Arg), and a G/C transversion that causes, a glutamate/glutamine substitution at codon 27 (Glu27Gln). Results: The Gly16Arg was significantly associated with hypertension (P < .03). Under a dominant model, for hypertension the relative risk for the Gly/Gly and Gly/Arg genotypes versus the Arg/Arg genotype was 1.35 (95% confidence limits [CL] 1.08, 1.70) for low-normal blood pressure the relative risk was 0.79 (95% CL 0.66, 0.94). This polymorphism explained approximately 1% of the variance in systolic and diastolic blood pressures in our study population. There was no evidence of association between the C-47T and Glu27Gln polymorphisms and hypertension in this population. Conclusions: The Gly16 allele in the beta (2)-adrenergic receptor gene is a susceptibility allele for essential hypertension in a population of Chinese origin. (C) 2001 American Journal of Hypertension, Ltd.
