Model-fitting and linkage analysis of sodium–lithium countertransport

Sodium-lithium countertransport activity in healthy, dyslipidemic, and hypertensive individuals

The aim of our study was to investigate the role of dyslipidemia on red blood cell sodium-lithium countertransport activity in healthy and hypertensive individuals. A total of 128 Caucasian individuals, aged 20 to 60 years old, were divided into 4 groups: dyslipidemic/ hypertensive, dyslipidemic/normotensive, normolipidemic/hypertensive, and normolipidemic/ normotensive (controls). Sodium-lithium countertransport activity was determined based on the Canessa et al method. Sodium-lithium countertransport activity was significantly higher in all patient groups compared with controls (P < .001) and similar in the 3 patient groups. Sodium-lithium countertransport activity was significantly and positively associated with triglyceride levels (P < .001), body mass index (P < .001), total cholesterol levels (P = .001), and systolic (P = .001) and diastolic blood pressure (P = .001). In multivariate regression analysis, triglycerides made the largest contribution to sodium-lithium countertransport variation among the variables tested (R(2) = 0.273). Our results suggest that dyslipidemia affects sodium-lithium countertransport activity independently of essential hypertension and even to a greater extent than hypertension.

Regional association-based fine-mapping for sodium-lithium countertransport on chromosome 10

BACKGROUND

Increased erythrocyte sodium-lithium countertransport (SLC) has been observed in patients with essential hypertension. Consistent evidence of genetic linkage was shown for SLC on chromosome 10, and a region of interest was localized between 26 and 56 Mb.

METHODS

This study surveyed single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 54 genes that reside in the region of interest, and investigated their association with SLC and blood pressure. These SNPs were genotyped in 1,133 non-Hispanic white individuals from 255 pedigrees comprising the second phase of the Rochester Family Heart Study. The variance-components-based genetics software package SOLAR was used for evaluating whether an SNP contributed to a significant fraction of the trait heritability.

RESULTS

Of the 77 SNPs surveyed in this study across the region of interest, four SNPs were associated with SLC (P < 0.04), five SNPs were associated with blood pressure (P < 0.04), and two SNPs in mannose-binding lectin 2 (MBL2) were associated with both phenotypes. In general, the pairwise linkage disequilibrium among the genotyped SNPs was low.

CONCLUSIONS

This fine-mapping survey of genetic variation in a linkage region of interest provides overall support for association-mapping for SLC on chromosome 10. Genes significantly associated with systolic blood pressure and/or SLC in these families will be prioritized for future studies.