SLC39A8 and Hypertension: SLC39A8 (solute carrier family 39 member 8) and diastolic blood pressure (Fig. 6a): Slc39a8 deletion in mice results in increased nitric oxide (NO) production, decreased blood pressure, and protection against high-salt-induced hypertension, while homozygosity of the SLC39A8 loss-of-function variant in humans is associated with increased NO, providing a plausible explanation for the association of SLC39A8 with blood pressure [36, 37].