Author(s)

Efstratios K. Theofilogiannakos, Konstantinos Dean Boudoulas, Brian E. Gawronski, Taimour Y. Langaee, Timotheos G. Kelpis, Antonios A. Pitsis, Julie A. Johnson, Harisios Boudoulas

Agios Lukas Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece.
The Ohio State University, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
The Ohio State University, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Columbus, Ohio, USA;Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
University of Florida, Department of Pharmacotherapy and Translational Research and Center for Pharmacogenomics, Gainesville, Florida, USA.

Aims: Polymorphisms of the β-adrenergic receptor, the frequency of which may differ in ethnic groups, alters β-receptor function. The aim of this study was to elucidate the frequency of β1 and β2-adrenergic receptor polymorphisms in healthy Greeks and to compare with those of Caucasian European (Euro) and African American (AA) origin. Methods: Ninety-nine individuals with a median age of 63 without clinical evidence of any disease were studied. Blood samples were obtained and common β1 and β2-adrenergic receptor polymorphisms that change the en-coded amino acid were determined by pyrosequencing. Results: The most common β1-adrenergic receptor polymorphism in Greeks is nucleotide substitution cytosine for guanine at position 1165 (1165 C/G) resulting in amino acid substitution arginine for glycine at position 389 (389 Arg/Gly) with a minor allele frequency of 28% (Euro 27%, AA 42%); this polymorphism increases the sensitivity of the β1-receptor. The most common β2-adrenergic receptor polymorphism in Greeks is the nucleotide substitution guanine for adenine at position 46 (46 G/A) resulting in amino acid substitution glycine for arginine at position 16 (16 Gly/Arg) with a minor allele frequency of 38% (Euro 41%, AA 50%); this polymerphism facilitates receptor down-regulation during chronic adrenergic stimulation. Conclusion: The most common β1 and β2-adrenergic receptor polymorphisms in the Greek population are similar to those of other European ancestry, and less common than in those of African origin indicating variability in ethnic groups. This information provides insight into common polymorphisms that may assist in optimizing β-antagonist and agonist therapy.

β₁ and β₂-Adrenergic Receptor; Polymorphism; Ethnic Variability

Theofilogiannakos, E. , Boudoulas, K. , Gawronski, B. , Langaee, T. , Kelpis, T. , Pitsis, A. , Johnson, J. and Boudoulas, H. (2013) Beta-adrenergic receptor polymorphisms: A basis for pharmacogenetics. World Journal of Cardiovascular Diseases, 3, 406-411. doi: 10.4236/wjcd.2013.36063.