Haplotypes of the WNK1 gene associate with blood pressure variation in a severely hypertensive population from the British Genetics of Hypertension study

Newhouse, S. et al. (2005) Haplotypes of the WNK1 gene associate with blood pressure variation in a severely hypertensive population from the British Genetics of Hypertension study. Human Molecular Genetics, 14(13), pp. 1805-1814. (doi: 10.1093/hmg/ddi187)

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Abstract

Mutations in the WNK1 gene cause Gordon's syndrome, a rare Mendelian form of hypertension. We assessed whether common WNK1 variants might also contribute to essential hypertension (EH), a multifactorial disorder affecting >25% of the adult population worldwide. A panel of 19 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) spanning the gene was selected from public databases and was genotyped in 100 white European families to determine the pattern of linkage disequilibrium, haplotype structure and tagging SNPs for the WNK1 locus. Eight tagging SNPs were identified with 90% power to predict common WNK1 haplotypes and SNPs. Family-based association tests were used to test for association with EH and severity of hypertension in 712 severely hypertensive families from the MRC British Genetics of Hypertension study resource. No association was found between WNK1 polymorphisms or haplotypes with hypertension; however, one SNP rs1468326, located 3 kb from the WNK1 promoter, was found to be nominally associated with severity of hypertension, with both systolic blood pressure (BP) (Z=+2.24, P=0.025) and diastolic BP (Z=+1.99, P=0.046). We also found nominal support for association of one common WNK1 haplotype with increased systolic BP (Z=+1.91, P=0.053). This is the first study to perform haplotype association analysis of the WNK1 gene with EH. This finding of association between a SNP near the promoter region and the severity of hypertension suggests that increased expression of WNK1 might contribute to BP variability and susceptibility to EH similar to the mechanism of hypertension observed in Gordon's syndrome.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Dominiczak, Professor Anna and Connell, Professor John
Authors: Newhouse, S., Wallace, C., Dobson, R., Mein, C., Pembroke, J., Farrall, M., Clayton, D., Brown, M., Samani, N., Dominiczak, A., Connell, J., Webster, J., Lathrop, G., Caulfield, M., and Munroe, P.
College/School:College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences
College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Cardiovascular & Metabolic Health
Journal Name:Human Molecular Genetics
Publisher:Oxford University Press
ISSN:0964-6906

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Project CodeAward NoProject NamePrincipal InvestigatorFunder's NameFunder RefLead Dept
392521Regulation of aldosterone and cortisol synthesis in hypertension and cardiovascular diseaseEleanor DaviesMedical Research Council (MRC)G0400874Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences