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_2B-Adrenergic Receptor Deletion Polymorphism Associates with Autonomic Nervous System Activity in Young Healthy Japanese

Laboratories of Metabolism (N.Su., T.Ma., K.N., T.Y., N.Sh., A.T., K.T.) and Applied Physiology (T.Mo., H.U.), Kyoto University Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies; Department of Diabetes and Clinical Nutrition, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine (M.F., Y.S., K.Y.); and Laboratory of Metabolism, Kyoto University Faculty of Integrated Human Studies (K.T., K.Y.), Kyoto 606-8501, Japan

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Koichiro Yasuda, M.D., Laboratory of Metabolism, Kyoto University Faculty of Integrated Human Studies, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan. E-mail: yasuda{at}tom.life.h.kyoto-u.ac.jp.

Several polymorphisms of genes involved in autonomic nervous system (ANS) function have been reported to affect metabolic regulation. We have investigated the association of an _2B-adrenergic receptor (_2BAR) three-amino acid deletion polymorphism with ANS activity in young healthy subjects by means of electrocardiogram R-R interval power spectral analysis. Three hundred eighty-one young healthy Japanese males (mean ± SE, 20.6 ± 0.1 yr) were studied. One hundred sixty-eight (44.1%) were homozygotes of Long allele (Long/Long), 162 (42.5%) were heterozygotes (Long/Short), and 51 (13.4%) were homozygotes of Short allele (Short/Short). The allele frequency of Short allele was 0.35. No significant differences were observed in any of the characteristics investigated: body mass index, plasma glucose, plasma insulin, or family history of diabetes and obesity. In R-R spectral analysis of heart rate variability, carriers of Short/Short had significantly greater low frequency and very low frequency than Long/Long, as well as a higher sympathetic nervous system index. These findings suggest that the _2BAR deletion polymorphism might result in metabolic disorder by altering ANS function.

This work was supported by Health Science Research Grants for Research on Human Genome, Tissue Engineering, and Food Biotechnology Chouju Kagaku Sougou from the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare, Japan; a grant from the Smoking Research Foundation; a grant from the Japan Diabetes Foundation; and a grant from the Suzuken Memorial Foundation.

Abbreviations: ANS, Autonomic nervous system; _2BAR, _2B-adrenergic receptor; BMI, body mass index; BMR, basal metabolic rate; ECG, electrocardiogram; HI, high frequency; HRV, heart rate variability; LO, low frequency; PNS, parasympathetic nervous system; SNS, sympathetic nervous system; TOTAL, total power; VLO, very low frequency.

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