Genes Found Linked to Blood Pressure

Researchers have discovered that genes in a region of chromosome 1 are involved in the regulation of blood pressure. They presented their findings at the annual meeting of the American Society for Human Genetics in Los Angeles (CA, USA).

After a genome-wide analysis of 1,875 people in 585 families, scientists have linked more than 200 known genes in a region of chromosome 1 to blood pressure regulation. The families were collected through the GenNet network of the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. The researchers also noted 24 genes whose functions might predict some role in hypertension, and closely examined nine of these genes. In three of the nine, they found single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). The same region of chromosome 1 has been previously linked to related disorders such as type II diabetes and familial hyperlipidemia.

However, this is the first analysis to identify candidate genes for additional study and to offer good evidence that more than one gene in the region is involved in blood pressure regulation, according to principal investigator, Aravinda Chakravarti, Ph.D., director of the McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine at Johns Hopkins (Baltimore, MD, USA). The researchers are continuing to evaluate how the three genes' functions might be affected by the SNPs observed.




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