ACE gene polymorphism and long-term renal graft function

Objectives: The long-term outcome of transplanted kidneys has not changed substantially and only a minority of grafts survives more than 15 yr. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of ACE gene polymorphism on long-term outcome after renal transplantation. Design and methods: Using PCR, we evaluated ACE I/D gene polymorphism in a group of patients with long-term graft function (LTF) over 15 yr and compared it with control groups of transplant recipients and population sample. Results: The distribution of genotypes in the LTF group differed from transplant controls ( p < 0.05). Moreover, DD homozygotes in the LTF group had better creatinine clearance (DD: 1.1 ± 0.3, ID: 0.96 ± 0.3, II: 0.76 ± 0.3 mL/s; p < 0.05). There were no differences in genotype distribution between transplant and population samples. Conclusions: Results of our study have demonstrated a possible connection between the DD variant of ACE I/D gene polymorphism and excellent long-term graft function.