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To explore the etiology of altered Ca metabolism in essential hypertension, we studied parameters, i.e., maximal initial reaction velocity (Vmax) and Michaelis constant (Km), of Ca activation kinetics of Ca2(+)-ATPase in membrane fractions (isolated by a sucrose gradient) from platelets of blacks and whites, 27 of whom were essential hypertensives, 17 of whom were normotensives with a family history of essential hypertension, and 10 of whom were normotensives without a family history of the disease. The Vmax of hypertensives was significantly lower than in normotensives without a family history of essential hypertension (hypertensives, 14.99 +/- 1.71 nmol Pi.mg protein-1.min-1; normotensives, positive family history, 22.67 +/- 3.17 nmol Pi.mg protein-1.min-1; normotensives, negative family history, 27.54 +/- 4.37 nmol Pi.mg protein-1.min-1; overall, P = 0.0078). The Km was lower in both hypertensives and normotensives with a positive family history of essential hypertension as compared with normotensives with a negative family history of the disease (hypertensives, 1.70 +/- 0.23 microM; normotensives, positive family history, 1.38 +/- 0.2 microM; normotensives, negative family history, 2.79 +/- 0.58 microM; overall, P = 0.0251). Furthermore, the Km in whites was inversely related to plasma renin activity (r = 0.50; P less than 0.005). We propose that a lower Vmax for Ca2(+)-ATPase may play a role in the higher level of free Ca in platelets of essential hypertensives and that a higher affinity of the enzyme to Ca may reflect a process compensating for the lower Vmax. We also suggest that a higher Km for Ca2(+)-ATPase in juxtaglomerular cells of whites would result in blunting the release of renin.