Elevated Plasma Level of Soluble F11 Receptor/Junctional Adhesion Molecule-A (F11R/JAM-A) in Hypertension

BACKGROUND The F11Receptor (F11R, also known as junctional adhesion molecule A (JAM-A)) plays a role in the development of hypertension in rat. Genetic variants in the human F 11 R gene were demonstrated to influence systolic blood pressure. In the present study, we investigated the relationship between F11R and hypertension by examining the levels of a circulating soluble form of F11R (sF11R) in hypertensive patients. METHODS Plasma sF11R was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 152 hypertensive and 166 normotensive subjects in whom seven tagging single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the F11R gene had been genotyped. RESULTS Plasma sF11R levels were significantly higher in hypertensive subjects than in normotensive subjects (median (interquartile) range): 162.8 (85.5-293.2) vs. 116.5 (74.1-194.8) pg/ml, P = 0.004), which remained significantly higher after adjusting for age, sex, body mass index (BMI), and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (P = 0.028). In stepwise multiple logistic regression, sF11R level (log-transformed) (P = 0.040), triglycerides (log-transformed) (P = 0.024), and HOMA-IR (log-transformed) (P <0.001) were independently associated with hypertension. Plasma sF11R level correlated with systolic and diastolic blood pressures (r = 0.15, P <0.001, and r = 0.13, P = 0.024, respectively). In stepwise multiple linear regression, hypertension (P = 0.013) and fibrinogen levels (P = 0.027) were significant independent predictors of sF11R level. A seven-locus haplotype, present in 2.1% of the subjects, was associated with higher sF11R level (P = 0.024). CONCLUSIONS These results further support a role of F11 receptor in the pathophysiology of human hypertension.