Gene expression in the kidneys of two spontaneously hypertensive rat strains at 3 and 6 weeks of age

We examined gene expression profiles in the rat kidneys using genome-wide microarray technology, and determined gene expression profiles in 3 rat strains: normotensive WKY, spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), and stroke-prone SHR (SHRSP). To identify candidate genes involved in the genesis of hypertension in the SHR strains, we compared the gene expression levels at 3 and 6 weeks of age, isolated 407 genes showing a more than 4-fold increase or a less than 1/4-fold decrease.本研究采用全基因组微阵列技术，检测大鼠肾脏的基因表达谱，并对3种大鼠品系的基因表达谱进行了测定：正常血压WKY大鼠、自发性高血压大鼠（spontaneously hypertensive rats, SHR）以及易卒中自发性高血压大鼠（stroke-prone SHR, SHRSP）。为筛选参与SHR品系高血压发病机制的候选基因，本研究对比了大鼠在3周龄和6周龄时的基因表达水平，筛选出407个表达量上调4倍以上或下调至原水平1/4以下的基因。