Experimental and clinical observations suggest that E-selectin could have an important role in essential hypertension (EH), but the relationship between common E-selectin variants and EH has not been extensively studied in the Chinese population. In this study, we explored the association between two common variants in the E-selectin gene (rs5361A/C and rs5355C/T) and EH in the Uygur, Kazakh and Han populations in the Xinjiang area. A case-control study was conducted to explore the association between these two single-nucleotide polymorphisms and EH in a large sample size, including 941 EH subjects (309 Uygur, 264 Kazakh and 368 Han individuals) and 924 control subjects (300 Uygur, 275 Kazakh and 349 Han individuals). Univariate analysis showed that the rs5361 A/C polymorphism was significantly associated with EH in the Uygur (P=0.002) and Han (P=3.6 x 10(-7)) populations. The CC genotype of this SNP was present only in patients with EH in all of the three nationalities studied. Han individuals who carry the CC genotype of rs5361 were more susceptible to EH, according to the dominant models (P = 1.13 x 10(-4), odds ratio=3.812, 95% confidence interval: 1.685-7.792), but there was no association of genotype with EH for the other ethnicities. No significant difference in rs5355 C/T polymorphism rate was found between the EH and control groups. Our results indicate that the common variant rs5361 is strongly associated with EH in Han individuals and weakly associated in Uygur individuals. The CC genotype of rs5361 might be an independent risk factor for EH among Uygur, Kazakh and Han individuals in the Xinjiang area. Hypertension Research (2012) 35, 413-417; doi: 10.1038/hr.2011.204; published online 8 December 2011