Project Summary:
High blood pressure (hypertension) is one of the main risk factors for heart disease, cerebrovascular disease (stroke), and end-stage chronic kidney disease. Unfortunately, heart disease and stroke are the number-one and number-five killers in Wisconsin, respectively, and this can be significantly improved by reducing blood pressure.
The renin-angiotensin system is one of the most studied mechanisms of blood pressure control. It is accepted that the activation of this system in different brain regions plays a fundamental role in the development of many diseases, such as hypertension, through the regulation of autonomic function. However, the main limitation for the complete understanding of how the renin-angiotensin system is regulated in the brain is the lack of information about a key player of the system, renin.
The research team's laboratory has recently found renin in an unexpected region of the brain called nucleus ambiguus. This brain region has been practically ignored in the field of hypertension research. Thus, the detection of renin in this location might provide new insights into the brain control of blood pressure.
This project will help characterize and understand the biological importance of the recently discovered neurons in the nucleus ambiguus that produce renin. The researchers will employ cutting-edge technology to address the following questions. First, what is the physiological role of these neurons? Second, what is their neural connectivity? Third, what genes are expressed in them? Fourth, what is the role of renin in the nucleus ambiguus? Fifth, do these neurons and renin play a role in the development of hypertension?
The outcomes of these studies may lead to the discovery of new potential targets and therapeutic tools to combat high blood pressure in patients where the current antihypertensive drugs are ineffective.