The Gly460Trp variant of alpha-adducin is not associated with hypertensionin white Anglo-Australians

A Gly460Trp variant of the cytoskeletal protein alpha-adducin has recently been implicated in the etiology of essential hypertension (HT) in a study i nvolving southern European whites. We attempted to replicate this finding i n a well-characterized, extensively studied group of 112 white Australians with essential HT, with strong family history (two HT parents), early-onset , moderate to severe disease, and of British extraction. Controls were 196 normotensive (NT) white subjects whose parents were both NT older than age 50 years;A mismatch polymerase chain reaction method involving BanII was de veloped for genotyping. Frequency of the Trp460 allele was 0.23 in the RT a nd 0.24 in the NT groups (chi(2) = 0.2, P = .7). No association was observe d with blood pressure, body mass index, age, plasma renin, angiotensinogen, angiotensin converting enzyme, cholesterol, triglycerides, or HDL or LDL, cholesterol. Our results therefore provide no support: for a role for the a lpha-adducin variant in hypertension, at least in our severely affected Ang lo-white group with strong family history of HT. (C) 1999 American Journal of Hypertension, Ltd.