Hypertensive Rat Kidney Study: Gender-Selective Responses to Salt in Dahl-Iwai & Sprague-Dawley Rats. Rattus norvegicus

Dahl-Iwai (DI) salt-sensitive rats were studied using microarrays to identify gender-specific differences in the kidney, both basal differences and responses to a high salt diet. In DI rat kidneys, gene expression profiles demonstrated inflammatory and fibrotic responses selectively in females. Gonadectomy of DI rats abrogated gender differences in gene expression. Gonadectomized female and gonadectomized male DI rats both responded to high salt with the same spectrum of gene expression changes as intact female DI rats. Androgens dominated the gender selective responses to salt. Several androgen-responsive genes were identified with roles potentiating the differential responses to salt including increased male expression of Angiotensin-Vasopressin Receptor and Prolactin Receptor, decreased 5-alpha reductase, and mixed increases and decreases in expression of Cyp4a- genes that can produce eicosanoid hormones. These gender differences potentiate sodium retention by males, and increase kidney function during gestation by females. Keywords: Disease-State Analysis (Salt-Sensitive Hypertension) Overall design: - 68 samples/rats/data tables are represented. - One microarray was used for each sample. - 3 rat