Common variation in with no-lysine kinase 1 (WNK1) and blood pressure responses to dietary sodium or potassium interventions: Family-based association study

Background: Common variations in the gene with no-lysine kinase 1 (WNK1) are associated with hypertension, but because of gene-environment interaction, it is difficult to fully identify the genetic contribution of WNK1 gene polymorphism to blood pressure (BP) variability. The aim of this study was to identify the effect of common WNK1 variants on the shift of BP during strict dietary interventions of salt or potassium intake. Methods and Results: A total of 342 subjects from 126 families were selected and sequentially maintained on normal diet for 3 days at baseline, a low-salt diet for 7 days (3 g/day, NaCl), then a high-salt diet for 7 days (18 g/day), and high-salt diet with potassium supplementation for another 7 days (4.5 g/day, KCl). Five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were selected from the WNK1 gene. rs880054 and rs12828016 were associated with diastolic BP (DBP) response during the low- or high-sodium intervention, and rs2301880 was significantly associated with systolic BP, DBP and mean arterial pressure responses to the high-sodium intervention (all P<0.05). Unfortunately, no associations for WNK1 SNPs and the constructed haplotype blocks of WNK1 with BP responses to high-salt-andpotassium supplement intervention reached nominal statistical significance. Conclusions: The WNK1 gene might be mechanistically involved in the variation in BP response to dietary sodium and potassium intake among individuals, and might contribute to the variation of this complex phenotype.