Transcriptomic analysis of dynamic dysregulation in brainstem autonomic nuclei during the development of hypertension

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. Transcriptomic timecourse for the hypertensive SHR and normotensive WKY rats in 3 brainstem regions. Samples were collected from the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS), rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM), and caudal ventrolateral medulla (CVLM) at 8, 10, 12, 16, and 24 weeks of age. N=3-6 for each sample group.