Published Online
on July 8, 2002

A more recent version of this article appeared on September 1, 2002

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Submitted on April 15, 2002
Revised on May 17, 2002

Catecholamine-Related Gene Expression Correlates With Blood Pressures in SHR

Valin Reja; Ann K. Goodchild; and Paul M. Pilowsky^*

From the Hypertension and Stroke Research Laboratories, Department of Physiology, University of Sydney, and Department of Neurosurgery, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, Australia.

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: pilowsky{at}med.usyd.edu.au.

Abstract—In this study we aimed to determine whether the levels of gene expression for phenylethanolamine-N-methyltransferase (PNMT), noradrenaline transporter (NAT), _1A-receptor (_1A-R), and _2A-receptor (_2A-R) vary with resting systolic blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) compared with normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) or Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Sites examined included central and peripheral regions associated with the control of arterial pressure. Twenty week old SD (n=6), WKY (n=6), and SHR (n=6) were used. Systolic blood pressure was measured using tail cuff plethysmography 2 weeks before tissue extraction. RNA was isolated and reverse-transcribed into cDNA. Gene expression levels were measured, using quantitative real time PCR, relative to the expression of GAPDH. PNMT, NAT, and _1A-R mRNA expression was significantly greater in SHR tissue samples compared with normotensives. In the rostral ventrolateral medulla, PNMT mRNA in SHR was 3 times greater than that in WKY (SHR: 0.82±0.02%; WKY: 0.29±0.02%). The amount of _2A-R mRNA was significantly lower in SHR compared with normotensives. For example, the level of _2A-R mRNA in spinal cord of SHR was 3 times less than that found in WKY (SHR: 1.85±0.04%; WKY: 3.26±0.07%). PNMT, NAT, and _1A-R mRNA levels were positively correlated with systolic blood pressure in all central tissue investigated. Conversely, _2A-R mRNA levels in central sites were negatively correlated with systolic blood pressure. Clearly, a decrease in central _2A-R and an increase in _1A-R is consistent with the elevated blood pressure and sympathetic activity observed in SHR.

Key words: catecholamines • hypertension, genetic • receptors, adrenergic alpha • renin-angiotensin system • sympathetic nervous system.

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