The Expression of AT1R in Hypertensive Male and Female Rat Kidneys

Hypertension is a risk factor for heart attacks and end stage kidney failure. Angiotensin II (AII) is a protein, which participates in the reabsorption of the filtered sodium from the lumen so it helps control Blood pressure. Its physiological function is mediated by binding, Angiotensin II receptor 1 (AT1R). The blocking of AT1R lowers blood pressure and its expression can be controlled at both the mRNA and protein levels. Preliminary studies suggested that the expression of a microRNA, miR-155, negatively correlates with blood pressure and could control the expression of AT1R. A Real Time Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) method was developed to measure mRNA expression of AT1R in spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) male rats versus SHR female rats. Total RNA was isolated from rat kidney and its quality and quantity was assessed. Reverse transcription was performed to obtain cDNA from the RNA samples. The reverse primers, forward primers and probes for the targets; actin and AT1R were designed, and relative quantitation was measured using the Ct method. Preliminary data suggested differences in the relative expression of AT1R in the female vs. male SHR kidneys. A reverse transcription/ qPCR method was successfully developed to measure miR-155 in kidney tissues. Future work will test whether differences in miR-155 expression correlate with AT1R protein expression using the Western Blot technique