1. Four-week inhibition of the renin-angiotensin system in spontaneously hypertensive rats results in persistently lower blood pressure with reduced kidney renin and changes in expression of relevant gene networks.
- Author
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Byars SG, Prestes PR, Suphapimol V, Takeuchi F, De Vries N, Maier MC, Melo M, Balding D, Samani N, Allen AM, Kato N, Wilkinson-Berka JL, Charchar F, and Harrap SB
- Subjects
- Animals, Rats, Arterial Pressure drug effects, Blood Pressure drug effects, Blood Pressure genetics, Epigenesis, Genetic drug effects, Gene Expression Regulation, Time Factors, Transcriptome, Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Blockers pharmacology, Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors pharmacology, Antihypertensive Agents pharmacology, Disease Models, Animal, DNA Methylation drug effects, Gene Regulatory Networks, Hypertension physiopathology, Hypertension genetics, Hypertension drug therapy, Hypertension metabolism, Kidney metabolism, Kidney drug effects, Losartan pharmacology, Perindopril pharmacology, Rats, Inbred SHR, Renin genetics, Renin metabolism, Renin-Angiotensin System drug effects, Renin-Angiotensin System genetics
- Abstract
Aims: Prevention of human hypertension is an important challenge and has been achieved in experimental models. Brief treatment with renin-angiotensin system (RAS) inhibitors permanently reduces the genetic hypertension of the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR). The kidney is involved in this fascinating phenomenon, but relevant changes in gene expression are unknown., Methods and Results: In SHR, we studied the effect of treatment between 10 and 14 weeks of age with the angiotensin receptor blocker, losartan, or the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, perindopril [with controls for non-specific effects of lowering blood pressure (BP)], on differential RNA expression, DNA methylation, and renin immunolabelling in the kidney at 20 weeks of age. RNA sequencing revealed a six-fold increase in renin gene (Ren) expression during losartan treatment (P < 0.0001). Six weeks after losartan, arterial pressure remained lower (P = 0.006), yet kidney Ren showed reduced expression by 23% after losartan (P = 0.03) and by 43% after perindopril (P = 1.4 × 10-6) associated with increased DNA methylation (P = 0.04). Immunolabelling confirmed reduced cortical renin after earlier RAS blockade (P = 0.002). RNA sequencing identified differential expression of mRNAs, miRNAs, and lncRNAs with evidence of networking and co-regulation. These included 13 candidate genes (Grhl1, Ammecr1l, Hs6st1, Nfil3, Fam221a, Lmo4, Adamts1, Cish, Hif3a, Bcl6, Rad54l2, Adap1, Dok4), the miRNA miR-145-3p, and the lncRNA AC115371. Gene ontogeny analyses revealed that these networks were enriched with genes relevant to BP, RAS, and the kidneys., Conclusion: Early RAS inhibition in SHR resets genetic pathways and networks resulting in a legacy of reduced Ren expression and BP persisting for a minimum of 6 weeks., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: There are no conflicts of interest., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.)
- Published
- 2024
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