Associations of E-proteinoid 3 receptor genetic polymorphisms with salt sensitivity, longitudinal blood pressure changes, and hypertension incidence in Chinese adults

The E-proteinoid 3 receptor (PTGER3), a member of the prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) subtype receptor, belongs to the G-protein-coupled superfamily of receptors. Animal studies have demonstrated its involvement in salt sensitivity by regulating sodium reabsorption. This study aimed to investigate the association between genetic variants of PTGER3 and salt sensitivity, longitudinal blood pressure (BP) changes, and the incidence of hypertension in Chinese adults. A chronic salt intake intervention was conducted involving 514 adults from 124 families in the 2004 Baoji Salt-Sensitivity Study Cohort in northern China. These participants followed a 3-day regular baseline diet, followed by a 7-day low-salt diet (3.0 g/d) and a 7-day high-salt diet (18 g/d), and were subsequently followed for 14 years. The findings revealed a significant relationship between the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs17482751 of PTGER3 and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) response to high salt intervention. Additionally, SNPs rs11209733, rs3765894, and rs2268062 were significantly associated with longitudinal changes in systolic blood pressure (SBP), DBP, and mean arterial pressure (MAP) during the 14-year follow-up period. SNP rs6424414 was significantly associated with longitudinal changes in DBP over 14 years. Finally, SNP rs17482751 showed a significant correlation with the incidence of hypertension over 14 years. These results emphasize the significant role of PTGER3 gene polymorphism in salt sensitivity, longitudinal BP changes, and the development of hypertension in the Chinese population.