Association of β2-adrenoceptor Gln27Glu variant with body weight but not hypertension

β₂-Adrenoceptor (β₂-ADR)-mediated vasodilatation decreases vascular reactivity and blood pressure (BP) and chromosome 5 where its gene (ADRB2R) resides and shows linkage to hypertension (HT). A Gln27Glu ADRB2R variant confers resistance to agonist-induced desensitization and enhanced vasodilator response to isoprenaline. Therefore, we carried out a case-control study in a cohort of HT and normotensive (NT) Anglo-Celtic Australian white subjects whose parents had a similar BP status as the subjects. Glu27 frequency was 0.41 in 108 HT and 0.42 in 141 NT (χ² = 0.05, P = .82). Within the HT group, the Glu27 allele was more prevalent in 61 subjects who were overweight (body mass index [BMI] ≥ 25 kg/m²) compared with 41 who were lean (BMI <25 kg/m²); ie, 0.49 v 0.31, respectively (χ² = 6.4, P = .012). Furthermore, Glu27 tracked with elevation in BMI in these subjects: 24 ± 4 kg/m², 27 ± 5 kg/m², and 28 ± 5 kg/m² for Gln/Gln, Gln/Glu, and Glu/Glu, respectively (P = .0058 by one-way ANOVA). Thus, the Gln27Glu β₂-ADR variant is excluded in HT, but might influence body weight.