Abstract
We assessed the effect of the previously uncovered gap junction protein alpha 8 (Gja8) mutation present in spontaneously hypertensive rat -dominant cataract (SHR-Dca) strain on blood pressure, metabolic profile, and heart and renal transcriptomes. Adult, standard chow-fed male rats of SHR and SHR-Dca strains were used.
We found a significant, consistent 10-15 mmHg decrease in both systolic and diastolic blood pressures in SHR-Dca compared with SHR (P 1.2-fold difference in expression between SHR and SHR-Dca. Tumor necrosis factor was the most significant upstream regulator and glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor family ligand-receptor interactions was the common enriched and downregulated canonical pathway both in heart and kidney of SHR-Dca.
The connexin 50 mutation L7Q lowers blood pressure in the SHR-Dca strain, decreases high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and leads to substantial transcriptome changes in heart and kidney.