Development of genetically engineered mice with hypertension and hypotension

Human essential hypertension is generally recognized as a multifactorial disease involving the interplay of environmental factors based on genetic diathesis. Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and Dahl rats are widely used as animal models for human essential hypertension and salt-sensitive hypertension, respectively. The definitive genetic factor ruling the development of hypertension in these strains remains unclear, but recently advances in embryonic engineering and molecular biological techniques may make it possible for transgenic mice and gene-targeted mice to become important pathological models defined genetically and functionally for human disease. The author developed two types of genetically engineered mice that may serve as such models: a transgenic mouse with hypertension caused by enhancing the renin-angiotensin system and a gene-targeted mouse with hypotension caused by disrupting the renin-angiotensin system.