Genetics of the ceramide/sphingosine-1-phosphate rheostat in blood pressure regulation and hypertension.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Several attempts to decipher the genetics of hypertension of unknown causes have been made including large-scale genome-wide association analysis (GWA), but only a few genes have been identified. Unsolved heterogeneity of the regulation of blood pressure and the shortcomings of the prevailing monogenic approach to capture genetic effects in a polygenic condition are the main reasons for the modest results. The level of the blood pressure is the consequence of the genotypic state of the presumably vast network of genes involved in regulating the vascular tonus and hence the blood pressure. Recently it has been suggested that components of the sphingolipid metabolism pathways may be of importance in vascular physiology. The basic metabolic network of sphingolipids has been

SUBMITTER: Fenger M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3115901 | biostudies-literature | 2011 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature