Affiliation:
1. From the Basic & Clinical Genomics Laboratory, School of Medical Sciences and Bosch Institute (F.Z.M., B.J.M.), and School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Sydney (A.E.C., Y.H.J.Y.), Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; Department of Cardiovascular Science, University of Leicester, and Leicester National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Unit in Cardiovascular Disease, Glenfield Hospital (M.T.), Leicester, United Kingdom; Department of Internal Medicine,...
Abstract
The kidney has long been invoked in the etiology of essential hypertension. This could involve alterations in expression of specific genes and microRNAs (miRNAs). The aim of the present study was to identify, at the transcriptome-wide level, mRNAs and miRNAs that were differentially expressed between kidneys of 15 untreated hypertensive and 7 normotensive white male subjects of white European ancestry. By microarray technology we found 14 genes and 11 miRNAs that were differentially expressed in the medulla. We then selected and confirmed by real-time quantitative PCR expression differences for
NR4A1
,
NR4A2
,
NR4A3
,
PER1
, and
SIK1
mRNAs and for the miRNAs hsa-miR-638 and hsa-let-7c. Luciferase reporter gene experiments in human kidney (HEK293) cells confirmed the predicted binding of hsa-let-7c to the 3′ untranslated region of
NR4A2
mRNA. In the renal cortex we found differential expression of 46 genes and 13 miRNAs. We then confirmed expression differences for
AIFM1
,
AMBP
,
APOE
,
CD36
,
EFNB1
,
NDUFAF1
,
PRDX5
,
REN
,
RENBP
,
SLC13A1
,
STX4
, and
TNNT2
mRNAs and for miRNAs hsa-miR-21, hsa-miR-126, hsa-miR-181a, hsa-miR-196a, hsa-miR-451, hsa-miR-638, and hsa-miR-663. Functional experiments in HEK293 cells demonstrated that hsa-miR-663 can bind to the
REN
and
APOE
3′ untranslated regions and can regulate
REN
and
APOE
mRNA levels, whereas hsa-miR-181a regulated
REN
and
AIFM1
mRNA. Our data demonstrated for the first time that miRNAs can regulate renin expression. The observed downregulation of 2 miRNAs in hypertension could explain the elevation in intrarenal renin mRNA. Renin, CD36, and other mRNAs, as well as miRNAs and associated pathways identified in the present study, provide novel insights into hypertension etiology.
Publisher
Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)