The Role of Polymorphic Markers of the FOXP3 Gene in the Development of Essential Arterial Hypertension

The association of polymorphic loci –924A>G (rs2232365) and –3279C>A (rs3761548) of the FOXP3 gene with the risk of developing essential arterial hypertension (EAH) was studied. A total of 151 DNA samples from healthy individuals and 155 DNA samples from patients with EAH (stages I–II) were used. The frequency of occurrence of the –924A>G (rs2232365) polymorphic marker of the FOXP3 gene was almost the same in the groups of conditionally healthy individuals and patients with EAH (χ2 = 0.07 and χ2 = 0.42, p > 0.05, respectively, for alleles and genotypes). The frequency of the CC genotype for the –3279C>A (rs3761548) marker of the FOXP3 gene was higher in the group of patients with hypertension (χ2 = 5.67, p = 0.018). An association was found between the carriage of the CC genotype for rs3761548 and the risk of developing hypertension (OR = 1.967 (95%CI 1.12–3.45)). The level of FOXP3 gene transcripts in peripheral blood leukocytes of healthy people did not depend on the carriage of allelic variants for rs2232365 and rs3761548 (p > 0.05). In carriers of the C allele for the polymorphic marker rs3761548, the content of IL-10 and IL-2 in the blood plasma was lower than in individuals with the AA genotype (p = 0.025, p = 0.017, respectively). The polymorphic marker –3279C>A of the FOXP3 gene is involved in the predisposition of Karelia residents to the development of EAH, probably through the effect on the level of IL-10 and IL-2.