A Review of the Epidemiological Evidence for Adducin Family Gene Polymorphisms and Hypertension

Abstract EN

Hypertension is one of the most common cardiovascular diseases that seriously endangers human health and has become a significant public health problem worldwide.

In the vast majority of patients, the cause of hypertension is unknown, called essential hypertension (EH), accounting for more than 95% of total hypertension.

Epidemiological and genetic studies of humans and animals provide strong evidence of a causal relationship between high salt intake and hypertension.

Adducin is one of the important candidate genes for essential hypertension.

Adducin is a heterodimeric or heterotetrameric protein that consists of α, β, and γ subunits; the three subunits are encoded by genes (ADD1, ADD2, and ADD3) that map to three different chromosomes.

Animal model experiments and clinical studies suggest that changes in single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at part of the adducin family gene increase the Na+-K+-ATPase activity of the renal tubular basement membrane and increase the reabsorption of Na+ by renal tubular epithelial cells, which may cause hypertension.

This review makes a summary on the structure, function, and mechanism of adducin and the role of adducin on the onset of EH, providing a basis for the early screening, prevention, and treatment of EH.