microRNAs, hypertension and end organ damage in humans

Hypertension (HTN) is associated with vascular injury and immune cell activation, which contributes to kidney injury leading to chronic kidney disease (CKD). HTN can also be a component of the metabolic syndrome (MetS), a cluster of risk factors for type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease and death, which amplify HTN-induced target organ damage. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding RNAs which repress/degrade target messenger RNAs (mRNAs). MiRNAs have been shown to play a role in cardiovascular disease and are crucial post-transcriptional regulators of immune cell development and function. However, the implication of miRNAs in hypertension and vascular injury is unclear. We hypothesized that miRNA profiling in platelet-free plasma, and miRNAs and mRNAs in peripheral blood... (for more see dbGaP study page.)