Human G-protein β3 subunit variant is associated with serum potassium and total cholesterol levels but not with blood pressure

The activity of a sodium-proton exchanger is enhanced in the patients with essential hypertension and regulated via G-protein, which is a signal transducer between receptors and intracellular effectors. A recent study has revealed that a novel variant (C825T) in exon 10 of the gene encoding the β3 subunit of heterotrimetric G proteins (GNB3) is a genetic factor predisposing to hypertension in Caucasians. We examined the association between GNB3/C825T and blood pressure, lipids, electrolytes, and other parameters in a Japanese population. Subjects (n = 352) were selected from the Ohasama Study, the population of which is regarded as from a rural community in Japan. To obtain precise clinical measurements, 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM), brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and carotid ultrasonography (CUS) were conducted in this population. In addition, we recruited 762 subjects from outpatients at the Osaka University Medical School to carry out the association study between hypertension and GNB3. The GNB3 genotype distribution did not differ significantly between normotensives and hypertensives in either of the two studies. The T825 allele of GNB3 was not associated with the presence of hypertension, blood pressure level, the number of brain lacunae or carotid wall thickness. However, the serum potassium and total cholesterol levels were significantly higher in subjects with the T allele (P< .005). The T825 allele of GNB3 is associated with increased serum potassium and total cholesterol levels but not with blood pressure in a Japanese population.