ASSOCIATION OF ANGIOTENSINOGEN GENE T235 VARIANT WITH INCREASED RISK OF CORONARY HEART-DISEASE

Several genes, including some encoding components of the renin angiotensin system, are associated with the risk of cardiovascular diseases. There have been reports linking a homozygous deletion allele of the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) gene (DD) with an increased myocardial infarction, some variants and angiotensinogen gene with hypertension. In a case-control study of a caucasian population from New Zealand, we examined the associations with coronary heart disease (CHD) of ACE DD and of a mis-sense mutation with methionine to threonine aminoacid substitution at codon 235 in the angiotensinogen gene ( T235). We studied 422 patients (mean age 62 years, 81% male) with documented CHD (50% with myocardial infarction) and 406 controls without known CHD (frequency-matched to cases by age and sex). Risk factors for CHD were assessed by standard questionnaire, physical examination, and blood tests. Genomic DNA from leucocytes was analysed for various ACE and angiotensinogen alleles. Angiotensinogen T235 homozygotes were at significantly increased risk of CHD generally (odds ratio 1 . 7, 2p=0 . 008) and of myocardial infarction specifically (1 . 8, 2p=0 . 009). Adjustment for several risk factors increased the estimate of CHD risk associated with this allele to 2 . 6 (2p<0 . 001) and the estimate for myocardial infarction risk to 3 . 4 (2p<0 . 001). By contrast, there was no evidence of a significant increase in the risk of CHD or myocardial infarction among individuals with ACE DD. We conclude that the T235 polymorphism of the angiotensinogen gene is an independent risk factor, which carries an approximately two-fold increased risk of CHD. In this study, however, ACE DD was not associated with any detectable increase in CHD risk.