Novel Integrative Approaches to the Identification of Candidate Genes in Hypertension

Abstract

Abstract-Hypertension, diabetes, and obesity are common diseases that are genetically expressed as complex traits. The clinical expression of these diseases, which run in families but have no clear pattern of inheritance, has been attributed to the interaction between multiple genes and the environment. Identifying the underlying genes, a crucial step in understanding the molecular pathogenesis of complex diseases, has had limited success so far, stressing the need for novel strategies to move this process forward. Innovative integrative genetic-genomic approaches have been proposed recently for the identification of new high-priority candidate genes. These strategies, which combine expression profiling with genetic linkage in different ways, may represent a breakthrough in the search for the genes involved in complex diseases. (Hypertension. 2006;47:1-5.)

Potential New Risk Factors for Ischemic Stroke

“…For example, the yield from future genetic research may be greater from studying the genetics of the established causal risk factors (eg, the genetic determinants of behaviors and other factors that increase blood pressure) than searching for new genes for stroke. 82 In addition, strategies to reduce the burden of ischemic stroke should continue to target risk, as defined by established causal risk factors, and aim to reduce risk among individuals and the population by reducing exposure to causal risk factors for stroke.…”

Sympathetic Regulation of the Renal Functions in Rats Reciprocally Congenic for Chromosome 1 Blood Pressure Quantitative Trait Locus

“…Nevertheless, it is important that the present study proposed a target organ through the physiological study of congenic rats. When comprehensive transcriptome analyses are planned, it is important to select proper target organs and proper development stages to study, which is not always an easy task in hypertension (39). This ambiguity of the primary target organs may hamper proper interpretations of comprehensive transcriptome analysis (40).…”

Hypertension as a Predictive Factor for Survival Outcomes in Patients with Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Treated with Sunitinib after Progression on Cytokines

“…Systemic inhibition of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor signaling reduces capillary density, which appears to provoke hypertension and may eventually lead to contractile dysfunction or heart failure [3,4] . Similarly, the mechanism of action by which VEGF inhibition induces hypertension is not well established.…”