The study of angiotensinogen gene polymorphism by microchip electrophoresis

Objective To investigate the AGT gene polymorphism distribution and the relationship between the AGT gene polymorphism and essential hypertension (EH) in Shenyang Hans population using the new microchip-based method, and to develop a microchip-bases electrophoretic method for rapid detection of genotype. Method One hundred and twenty-three patients with EH and one hundred and three controls recruited from Shenyang Hans population were examined. The gene polymorphisms of AGT (G(-6)A) was determined by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) with microchip electrophoresis and agarose gel electrophoresis. Result (1) Microchip electrophoresis can separate PCR products of AGT gene within 250s. (2) The A allele frequency was very high in both groups (control: 0.7038, hypertensive: 0.7073), it was almost identical in the different groups (χ2=0.024, p>0.05), there was also no significant difference in frequencies of the allele of G(-6)A between Shenyang and Tibetan population (p>0.05). Conclusion (1) In comparison with gel electrophoresis, the new microchip-based method has distinct features such as high seperation efficiency, smaller sample volume requirement, high-throughput application as well as the sensitivity of detection. (2) Shenyang Hans population has a higher frequency of A allele in AGT gene (-6)site. G/A polymorphism exists at locus -6 of human AGT gene, which is not linked to hypertension in Shenyang Han people.