Lack of association between a biallelic polymorphism in the adducin gene and blood pressure in whites and African Americans

Population-based candidate gene association analyses are becoming increasin gly popular as a result of a greater number of genes and gene polymorphisms having been identified for which some functional information is available. Because many biochemical and physiologic systems impact blood pressure reg ulation and hypertension susceptibility, many of these identified genes and polymorphisms are candidates for population-level association studies invo lving blood pressure levels or hypertension status. Recent studies have sug gested that the alpha-adducin gene may harbor polymorphisms that influence blood pressure level. Therefore, we embarked on a study to test one such po lymorphism in two large US samples: one from an urban African American popu lation (Maywood, IL) and another from a rural white population (Tecumseh, M I). We used both family-based association tests and tests that consider the impact of additional measured factors beyond adducin gene variation on blo od pressure levels. We found no evidence for a significant effect of the ch osen adducin polymorphism on blood pressure variation in either sample. We also found no association between Adducin genotypes and antihypertensive us e. These facts, together with similar findings in companion studies, sugges t that the alpha-adducin gene polymorphism does not have a pronounced effec t on blood pressure variation in the populations studied. This does not sug gest, however, that the alpha-adducin gene does not have a role in blood pr essure regulation and hypertension susceptibility. Am J Hypertens 2000;13:6 93-698 (C) 2000 American Journal of Hypertension, Ltd.