A number of studies provide evidence that the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)
gene is involved in the vulnerability for stress-related disorders including cardiovascular
diseases and mental disorders. These associations are assumed to be mediated by the
effects of ACE on angiotensin II, which in turn affects the vascular tone and modulates
the activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis. Dispositional
coping styles are important moderators of the stress reaction, and are altered in
cardiovascular diseases as well as in mental disorders. We examine the hypothesis
that polymorphisms of the ACE gene region are also associated with dispositional coping
styles. 543 mentally healthy subjects and 195 patients suffering from depression were
examined. Coping styles were assessed with a self-report questionnaire (German Stress
Coping Questionnaire SVF78) measuring the individual coping style pattern in response
to stressful situations. We genotyped 13 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in
the ACE gene region and investigated their associations with coping styles. In healthy
subjects, the highest association was observed between the intronic SNP rs8066276,
and the coping factor Distraction. A further SNP rs4305, not in linkage disequilibrium
with rs8066276, showed an association with Devaluation/Defense. Both SNPs were also
associated with positive coping in the patients; rs8066276 was associated with Devaluation/Defense,
and rs4305 with Control.
