Polymorphisms in the angiotensin-converting enzyme gene region predict coping styles in healthy adults and depressed patients

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 regulates sympathetic activation and modulates the activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis. Dispositional coping styles are moderators of the stress reaction, and are altered in cardiovascular diseases and in mental disorders. We examine the hypothesis that polymorphisms of the ACE gene region are also associated with dispositional coping. 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 rs8066276, an intronic SNP of the ACE gene, 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 patient sample; rs8066276 was associated with Devaluation/Defense, and rs4305 with Control.