Role of angiotensinogen in the genetics of essential hypertension

Although essential hypertension has long been recognized to involve a strong genetic predisposition, the genes that increase susceptibility remain virtually unknown. With recent advances in molecular biology and statistical methods, it has become feasible to study candidate genes which may contribute to the pathogenesis of essential hypertension in humans. Recently, the angiotensinogen (AGT) locus was demonstrated to exhibit genetic linkage and association to essential hypertension and to preeclampsia. While the statistical evidence that mutations of the AGT gene or a neighboring gene contribute to the development of hypertension is strong, the exact mechanism(s) by which these mutations affect the regulation of blood pressure (BP) is unknown. Increasing attention is now being focused on elucidating this mechanism(s).