Project description:Our previous findings suggest that the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS), a pivotal region for regulating the set-point of arterial pressure, exhibits abnormal inflammation in pre-hypertensive and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) together with elevated anti-apoptotic and low apoptotic factor levels compared with that of normotensive Wistar–Kyoto (WKY) rats. Whether this chronic condition affects neuronal growth and plasticity in the NTS remains unknown. To unveil the characteristics of the neurodevelopmental environment in the NTS of hypertensive rats, we investigated the gene expression profile of neurotrophins and their receptors in SHRs compared to that of normotensive rat WKY.
Project description:Medulla oblongata is a region of the brain containing multiple blood pressure regulation centers, including the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS), a pivotal region for regulating the set-point of arterial pressure. Our previous findings suggest that the NTS of male pre-hypertensive rats and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) exhibits abnormal inflammatory condition compared with that of normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats. Females of SHRs exhibit a lower blood pressure than their male counterpart but the molecular mechanism is not well described. To unveil the gender differences in the central regulation of blood pressure, we investigated the gene expression profile of cytokines and chemokines in the medulla oblongata of female SHRs compared to that of their male counterparts.
Project description:Neurogenic hypertension stems from an imbalance in autonomic function that shifts the central cardiovascular control circuits towards a state of dysfunction. Using the female spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) and the normotensive Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rat model, we compared the transcriptomic changes in three autonomic nuclei in the brainstem, the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS), caudal ventrolateral medulla (CVLM), and rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) in a time series at 8, 10, 12, 16, and 24 weeks of age, spanning the pre-hypertensive stage through extended chronic hypertension.
Project description:Our previous findings suggest that the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS), a pivotal region for regulating the set-point of arterial pressure, exhibits abnormal inflammation in pre-hypertensive and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) together with elevated anti-apoptotic and low apoptotic factor levels compared with that of normotensive Wistar–Kyoto (WKY) rats. Whether this chronic condition affects neuronal growth and plasticity in the NTS remains unknown. To unveil the characteristics of the neurodevelopmental environment in the NTS of hypertensive rats, we investigated the gene expression profile of neurotrophins and their receptors in SHRs compared to that of normotensive rat WKY. The NTS was dissected from the brain of 6 SHRs and 6 WKY rats and the total RNA was extracted. In both groups of rats (SHRs & WKY rats, n = 6 each), a total of 2 ug mRNA extracts from each NTS were pooled together, treated with RNase-free DNAse I (Invitrogen Life technologies) to remove any genomic contamination, and further purified using the RNeasy mini kit (Qiagen) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Reverse transcription was subsequently performed on 1 ug total RNA using SuperArray’s RT2 First Strand Kit (SABiosciences); the resulting cDNA was submitted for real-time quantitative PCR reactions on RT2 ProfilerTM PCR array plates using Superarray RT2 SYBR Green qPCR Master Mix (SAbiosciences) and iCycler iQ thermal cycler (Bio-rad), following the manufacturer’s instructions. The experiment was performed in duplicate in each group.