Linkage mapping for hypertension susceptibility genes.

Area of Science:

• Genetics
• Cardiovascular Disease Research

Background:

• Linkage methods are employed to identify susceptibility genes for hypertension.
• Candidate gene studies for essential hypertension, combining linkage and association, yield conflicting results.
• Rare Mendelian forms of hypertension offer insights into causative genes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review current approaches for identifying hypertension susceptibility genes.
• To highlight the challenges and potential of linkage and association studies.
• To discuss the role of animal models and Mendelian forms in understanding common hypertension.

Main Methods:

• Review of linkage and association studies for hypertension.
• Exploration of candidate regions homologous to quantitative trait loci in animal models.
• Analysis of studies on rare Mendelian forms of hypertension.
• Mention of ongoing genome-wide linkage studies.

Main Results:

• Identification of linkage to a human hypertension susceptibility locus through detailed candidate region exploration.
• Identification of causative genes in some rare Mendelian hypertension cases.
• Challenges in achieving high statistical significance for linkage in essential hypertension.

Conclusions:

• Linkage studies, particularly those exploring specific regions and Mendelian forms, are valuable for hypertension gene discovery.
• Further evidence from animal models and association studies is crucial to confirm gene roles in common hypertension.
• The pathophysiological relevance of identified variants in common hypertension requires establishment.