Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase and angiotensin-converting enzyme gene polymorphisms among Saudi population from Qassim region

Hypertension and cardiac diseases are multifactorial disorders with genetic background determined by multiple gene polymorphisms. This work included 273 healthy unrelated subjects ethnically belonging to the Qassim region. Their age ranged from 18 to 60 years, with a median age of 20 years. They included 152 (55.7%) men and 121 (44.3%) women. Their DNAs were analyzed for genetic polymorphisms of the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR; 677C/T and 1298 A/C) as well as angiotensin-converting enzyme genes (ACE; insertion/deletion [I/D]) using real-time polymerase chain reaction. Carriers of the mutant MTHFR 677 T allele (CT + TT) and that of the 1298 C allele (CC + AC) constituted 33.7% and 48.9% of studied subjects, respectively, whereas carriers of ACE gene mutant D allele (DD + ID) represented 93.3% of subjects. The allele frequencies of MTHFR 677T, 1298C, and ACE D alleles were 18.7%, 29.45%, and 72.5%, respectively. Haplotype analysis of characterized chromosomes revealed that 2.5% were likely to carry the three mutant alleles together, 30.91% were likely to carry two of the three mutant alleles, and 51.92% were likely to carry one mutant allele. The Saudi population from the Qassim region is a carrier of a relatively large number of genetic alleles predisposing them to hypertension and cardiac diseases. This gives a warning to local health authorities for adoption of competent programs for prevention as well as early diagnosis and management.