An association study of five genetic loci and left ventricular hypertrophy amongst Gulf Arabs

We carried out an association (case-control) study of five candidate genes--G-protein beta3 subunit gene variant; methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR); angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) gene; and paraoxonase 1 and 2 (PON 1 and 2) genes--in a United Arab Emirati population. The aim was to establish a possible relationship between these five candidate genes and clinical left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in a genetically homogenous group. DNA samples were collected from 213 unrelated Nationals who were further segregated into 98 subjects with LVH (78 hypertensives and 20 normotensives) and 115 (23 hypertensives and 92 normotensives) age- and sex-matched controls who did not present with LVH. Of the five candidate gene markers studied, no significant differences in the genotype distribution of the MTHFR, PON 1 and 2 or ACE markers were found between the LVH and non-LVH groups. However, a possible association was found between the beta3 G-protein C825T marker and LVH. In conclusion, our results suggest an association between LVH and the C825T allele of the G-protein beta3 subunit gene.