title: Association of α-adducin and G-protein β3 genetic polymorphisms with hypertension: a meta-analysis of Chinese populations.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Mounting evidence has suggested that α-adducin and G-protein β3 (GNB3) genes are logical candidates for salt-sensitive hypertension. Some, but not all, studies have reported that α-adducin G460T and GNB3 C825T polymorphisms may influence the risk of the disease. To comprehensively address this issue, we performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the influence of these two polymorphisms on hypertension and potential biases in Chinese.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were analyzed using Stata (v11.0) and random-effects model was applied irrespective of between-studies heterogeneity, which was evaluated via subgroup and meta-regression analyses. Study quality was assessed in duplicate. Publication bias was weighed using Egger's test and funnel plot.
  
  
  RESULTS
  36 study populations totaling 9042 hypertensive patients and 8399 controls were finally identified. Overall, in allelic/genotypic/dominant/recessive models, no significant association was identified for both G460T and C825T polymorphisms (P>0.05) and there was possible heterogeneity (I(2)>25%). Subgroup analyses by study design indicated that the magnitude of association in population-based studies was marginally significantly strengthened for α-adducin G460T allelic model (OR = 1.12; 95% CI: 1:00-1.25; P = 0.043). Moreover, subgroup analyses by geographic distribution indicated comparison of 825T with 825C yielded a marginally significant increased risk in southern Chinese only (OR = 1.48; 95% CI: 1.01-2.16; P = 0.045). Further meta-regression analyses showed that geographic regions were a significant source of between-study heterogeneity for both polymorphisms. There was a possibility of publication bias for G460T, but not for C825T.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our overall results suggest null association of α-adducin G460T and GNB3 C825T polymorphisms with hypertension in Chinese but indicate local marginal significance of C825T, as a putative salt-sensitive switch, in southern Chinese.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Medical Genomics, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Vascular Biology, Department of Hypertension, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China. niuwenquan@yahoo.cn
authors.forename: Wenquan
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Niu
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Qi
mesh_terms: D044466:Asian People / Q000235:genetics*; D002148:Calmodulin-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D004351:Drug Resistance / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D056726:Genetic Association Studies; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005828:Genetics, Population; D020962:Heterotrimeric GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics*; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic / Q000502:physiology*; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D017673:Sodium Chloride, Dietary / Q000494:pharmacology; D000099291:Adducins
chemical_list: D002148:Calmodulin-Binding Proteins; D020962:Heterotrimeric GTP-Binding Proteins; D017673:Sodium Chloride, Dietary; D000099291:Adducins; C454420:G-protein beta3 subunit