Endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene/gender interactions and the renal hemodynamic response to angiotensin II

Endothelial function is dependent on the generation of nitric oxide (NO) by the enzyme endothelial NO synthase (eNOS). One functional coding polymorphism of the eNOS gene (G894-->T) is associated with reduced enzyme activity, increased coronary heart disease, and the development of end-stage renal failure. Because gender and renin-angiotensin system activation also play key roles in the development of renal and cardiovascular disease and because NO plays a role in the response to angiotensin II (AngII), it was hypothesized that the eNOS gene G894-->T polymorphism would be a determinant of the systemic and renal vascular response to AngII. Fifty young, healthy, normotensive individuals who were on a controlled sodium and protein diet for 1 wk underwent assessment of BP and renal hemodynamic function at baseline and during AngII infusion (4 ng/kg per min for 45 min). Participants were genotyped for the eNOS gene G894-->T polymorphism and then segregated into groups on the basis of gender and genotype (GG versus GT/TT). Baseline values for renal blood flow, effective renal plasma flow, and GFR were lower in men with the T allele compared with men who were homozygous for the G allele (P = 0.03), but the polymorphism was not associated with renal hemodynamic function in women. The BP responses to AngII were similar in men and women regardless of genotype. Both multivariate linear regression and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) revealed a relationship between gender and genotype. Men with the GT/TT genotype exhibited a significantly greater decrease in GFR (P = 0.04) in response to AngII than did those with the GG genotype. This association was not observed in women. The eNOS gene G894-->T polymorphism is a determinant of both baseline renal hemodynamic function and the hemodynamic response to AngII in men but not in women.