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[The stress gene in hypertension]
1Laboratoire de pathophysiologie moléculaire, Centre de recherche de l'Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal, Québec.
L'Union Medicale Du Canada
|November 1, 1993
Summary
Thermosensitivity linked to hypertension in mice is a recessive trait. Heat shock protein 70 (hsp70) gene expression increases in hypertensive animals, suggesting a role in blood pressure regulation.
Area of Science:
- Genetics
- Physiology
- Molecular Biology
Context:
- Hypertension is common in animals with heat sensitivity.
- Thermosensitivity is inherited as a recessive trait in mice.
- Cellular thermosensitivity is observed in cultured cells from hypertensive animals.
Purpose:
- Investigate cellular factors determining thermosensitivity.
- Examine the role of heat stress genes, specifically hsp70 and hsp27, in hypertension.
- Determine if hsp70 gene polymorphisms correlate with blood pressure.
Summary:
- Enhanced hsp70 mRNA accumulation was observed in hypertensive rats, mice, and humans after heat shock.
- Increased hsp70 mRNA levels are due to elevated transcriptional rates in hypertensive subjects.
- A polymorphism in the hsp70 gene, located within the rat's major histocompatibility complex (RT1), segregates with systolic blood pressure.
Impact:
- Identifies hsp70 as a candidate gene for hypertension-associated thermosensitivity.
- Suggests a link between heat shock protein gene regulation and blood pressure control.
- Provides a basis for further research into the genetic and molecular mechanisms of hypertension.