Genetic variation in alpha-adducin cytoskeletal protein is implicated in the polymerization and bundling of actin and alteration of the Na/K pump, resulting in abnormal renal sodium transport and hypertension in Milan hypertensive rats and humans.
The ADD1 Gly460Trp polymorphism is significantly associated with an increased risk of coronary artery disease as well as blood pressure, indicating that ADD1 plays a role in the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease as well as hypertension.
The results of this population-based cohort study suggest that the ADD1 gene contributes to the risk of hypertension and increases mean common carotid IMT in patients with type 2 diabetes.
The ACE I/D, alpha-adducinGly460Trp and aldosterone synthase -344C/T polymorphisms interact to influence systolic blood pressure in Chinese, suggesting that these genes might indeed predispose to hypertension, especially in an ecogenetic context characterized by a high salt intake.
However, we failed to detect a positive association between the Gly460Trp polymorphism of ADD-1 and hypertension in a small series of Japanese subjects.