Scientists have uncovered genes which act as “switches” and trigger cells in kidneys to produce renin, an enzyme that helps one control their blood pressure.
Normally, ‘smooth muscle cells’ which line the inside of blood vessels are known to help control blood pressure by contracting and relaxing. However, when blood pressure falls and stays low for a long period, these cells in kidneys’ blood vessels help maintain it by producing the enzyme renin.
But it was uncertain as to which genes trigger this “changeover” in the smooth muscle cells of the kidneys, researchers at the University of Virginia, US, said.
In this study, published in the journal Hypertension, the team looked at the biological processes involved when renin is produced and identified nine genes playing a key role in three of these processes.
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These genes are the “switches” doing both, making the smooth muscle cells to stop producing renin and triggering them to resume when needed, the researchers explained.
They added that while these cells stop producing renin naturally, they remain “poised” to jump back into action.
“We expected to find the region in your genome where this gene is located to be inaccessible when renin is turned off, but it turns out this spot stays generally accessible in cells that are ready to be called into action when more renin is needed,” author Jason P. Smith, a senior scientist at the department of pediatrics, University of Virginia, said.
“Ultimately, since renin is so critical for our own health, a better understanding of how our bodies control its production may prove foundational to how we treat hypertension (high blood pressure) and the long-term effects of common blood pressure medications on kidney function and disease,” Smith said.
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The results help understand how one’s body controls blood pressure, said author R. Ariel Gomez, a researcher at the Child Health Research Center, University of Virginia.
“Knowing how vascular cells change their identity could help develop new medications to treat high blood pressure and vascular diseases,” Gomez said.
