Abstract P040: Role of 20-HETE in Elevated Blood Pressure in Hyperandrogenemic Female Rats, a Model of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common reproductive disorder in premenopausal women, is characterized by hyperandrogenemia, metabolic syndrome and inflammation. They also exhibit elevated blood pressure (BP) but may not be treated since they do not meet the criteria for hypertension (BP>130/90 mm Hg). We have characterized a female rat model of hyperandrogenemia (HAF) using dihydrotestosterone (DHT) that mimics many characteristics of women with PCOS. In the present study we tested the hypothesis that androgen-induced upregulation of the cytochrome P450 4A2 isoform (CYP4A2) and the formation of 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE) in renal microvasculature contributes to the elevated BP in HAF rats. Female rats of SS.5BN consomic strain (wild type) rats and CYP4A2-/- rats on this same background were implanted with DHT (7.5mg/90d) or placebo pellets (n=5-8/grp) beginning at 6 wks of age; pellets were changed every 85 d. At 14 wks of age, rats were implanted with radiotelemetry transmitters, and mean arterial pressure (MAP) was measured for 10 days. Endogenous 20-HETE levels were measured using LC-MS in renal microvessels isolated using an Evans Blue sieving technique. DHT-treated HAF-SS.5BN rats had significantly higher MAP compared to placebo-SS.5BN (128±6 vs. 104±1 mmHg, p<0.004). In contrast, HAF-CYP4A2-/- rats had no change in MAP compared to placebo-CYP4A2-/- controls (120±4 vs 118±3 mmHg, p=NS). Endogenous 20-HETE levels in renal microvessels of HAF-SS.5BN rats were significantly increased compared to Placebo-SS.5BN (2.27±0.91 vs. 0.32±0.037 pmol/mg, p<0.01). The 20-HETE levels were lower in CYP4A2-/- than SS.5BN but DHT in HAF-CYP4A2-/- had no effect on 20-HETE levels compared to Placebo- CYP4A2-/-. These results suggest that androgen-mediated upregulation of the expression of CYP4A2 and the production of 20-HETE in renal microvessels contribute to elevated BP in HAF rats. These data also suggest that methods to attenuate 20-HETE may provide a novel therapeutic to reduce BP in women with PCOS. Work supported by NIH RO1HL66072 and PO1HL51971.

Abstract 36: Deficiency in the Production of 20-HETE Contributes to Impaired Myogenic and TGF Responses in the Afferent Arteriole of Dahl S Rats

Previous studies have indicated that a deficiency in the formation of 20-HETE in the proximal tubule and thick ascending limb of Henle in Dahl S rats increases sodium reabsorption and contributes to the development of hypertension. The present study examined whether the lack of 20-HETE production in the renal vasculature contributes to the progression of renal injury by altering the myogenic or tubuloglomerular feedback (TGF) response of the afferent arteriole (Af-Art). The production of 20-HETE was significantly lower by 54% in renal microvessels isolated from the kidneys of Dahl S rats versus that seen than in SS.5BN consomic strain in which chromosome 5 from the Brown Norway (BN) rat containing the CYP4A genes responsible for the formation of 20-HETE was transferred into the Dahl S genetic background. The luminal diameter of the Af-Art decreased by 14.7± 1.5% (from 20.5 ± 0.7 to 17.5 ± 0.8 μm, n=6) in SS.5BN rats whereas the diameter of the Af-Art remained unaltered in Dahl S rats (from 20.1 ± 0.6 to 21.7 ± 0.6 μm, n=7) when the perfusion pressure was increased from 60 mmHg to 120 mmHg. In other experiments, adenosine (1 μM) reduced the diameter of the Af-Art in the SS.5BN rats by 15±0.7% (from 20.1 ±0.4 to 17.1 ± 0.9 μm, n=3) whereas the Af-Art of Dahl S rats was unaltered. However, administration of a 20-HETE synthesis inhibitor, HET0016 (1 μM, n=6), or a selective 20-HETE antagonist, 6, 15-20-HEDE (10 μM, n=6) completely blocked the myogenic and adenosine responses in the Af-Art of SS.5BN rats but it had no effect in Dahl S rats. Administration of a 20-HETE agonist, 5, 14-20-HEDE (1 μM) restored the myogenic response (from 20.7 ± 0.7 to 17.6 ± 0.6 μm, n=7) and vasoconstrictor response to adenosine in the Af-Art of Dahl S rats. These studies confirm the key role of 20-HETE in modulating the responsiveness of the Af-Art and indicate that a deficiency in the formation of 20-HETE in renal microvessels contributes to the marked susceptibility of Dahl S rats to develop hypertension induced renal injury.

Role of 20-HETE in the antihypertensive effect of transfer of chromosome 5 from Brown Norway to Dahl salt-sensitive rats

This study examined whether substitution of chromosome 5 containing the CYP4A genes from Brown Norway rat onto the Dahl S salt-sensitive (SS) genetic background upregulates the renal production of 20-HETE and attenuates the development of hypertension. The expression of CYP4A protein and the production of 20-HETE were significantly higher in the renal cortex and outer medulla of SS.5BN (chromosome 5-substituted Brown Norway rat) consomic rats fed either a low-salt (LS) or high-salt (HS) diet than that seen in SS rats. The increase in the renal production of 20-HETE in SS.5BN rats was associated with elevated expression of CYP4A2 mRNA. MAP measured by telemetry rose from 117 ± 1 to 183 ± 5 mmHg in SS rats fed a HS diet for 21 days, but only increased to 151 ± 5 mmHg in SS.5BN rats. The pressure-natriuretic and diuretic responses were twofold higher in SS.5BN rats compared with SS rats. Protein excretion rose to 354 ± 17 mg/day in SS rats fed a HS diet for 21 days compared with 205 ± 13 mg/day in the SS.5BN rats, and the degree of glomerular injury was reduced. Baseline glomerular capillary pressure (Pgc) was similar in SS.5BN rats (43 ± 1 mmHg) and Dahl S (44 ± 2 mmHg) rats. However, Pgc increased to 59 ± 3 mmHg in SS rats fed a HS diet for 7 days, while it remained unaltered in SS.5BN rats (43 ± 2 mmHg). Chronic administration of an inhibitor of the synthesis of 20-HETE (HET0016, 10 mg·kg−1·day−1 iv) reversed the antihypertensive phenotype seen in the SS.5BN rats. These findings indicate that the transfer of chromosome 5 from the BN rat onto the SS genetic background increases the renal expression of CYP4A protein and the production of 20-HETE and that 20-HETE contributes to the antihypertensive and renoprotective effects seen in the SS.5BN consomic strain.

Sex-specific genetic dissection of diabetes in a rodent model identifies Ica1 and Ndufa4 as major candidate genes

The aim of the study was to initiate a sex-specific investigation of the molecular basis of diabetes, using a genomic approach in the Cohen Diabetic rat model of diet-induced Type 2 diabetes. We used an F2 population resulting from a cross between Cohen Diabetic susceptible (CDs) and resistant (CDr) and consisting of 132 males and 159 females to detect relevant QTLs by linkage and cosegregation analyses. To confirm the functional relevance of the QTL, we applied the “chromosome substitution” strategy. We identified candidate genes within the quantitative trait locus (QTL) and studied their differential expression. We sequenced the differentially expressed candidate genes to account for differences in their expression. We confirmed in this new cross in males a previously detected major QTL on rat chromosome 4 (RNO4); we identified in females this major QTL as well. We found three additional diabetes-related QTLs on RNO11, 13, and 20 in females only. We pursued the investigation of the QTL on RNO4 and generated a CDs.4CDr consomic strain, which provided us with functional confirmation for the contribution of the QTL to the diabetic phenotype in both sexes. We successfully narrowed the QTL span to 2.6 cM and identified within it six candidate genes, but only two of which, Ica1 (islet cell autoantigen 1) and Ndufa4 (NADH dehydrogenase ubiquinone) were differentially expressed between CDs and CDr. We sequenced the exons and promoter regions of Ica1 and Ndufa4 but did not identify sequence variations between the strains. The detection of the QTL on RNO4 in both sexes suggests involvement of Ica1, Ndufa4, the Golgi apparatus, the mitochondria and genetic susceptibility to dietary-environmental factors in the pathophysiology of diabetes in our model. The additional sex-specific QTLs are likely to account for differences in the diabetic phenotype between the sexes.

Dynamic convergence and divergence of renal genomic and biological pathways in protection from Dahl salt-sensitive hypertension

Chromosome 13 consomic and congenic rat strains were analyzed to investigate the pattern of genomic pathway utilization involved in protection against salt-sensitive hypertension and renal injury. Introgression of the entire Brown-Norway chromosome 13 (consomic SS-13BN) or nonoverlapping segments of this chromosome (congenic strains, 16 Mbp in D13Rat151–D13Rat197 or 14 Mbp in D13Rat111–D13Got22) into the genome of the Dahl salt-sensitive rat attenuated salt-induced hypertension and proteinuria. mRNA abundance profiles in the renal cortex and the renal medulla from rats receiving 0.4% or 8% NaCl diets revealed two important features of pathway recruitment in these rat strains. First, the two congenic strains shared alterations in several pathways compared with Dahl salt-sensitive rats, despite the fact that the genomic segments introgressed in the two congenic strains did not overlap. Second, even though the genomic segment introgressed in each congenic strain was a part of the chromosome introgressed in the consomic strain, pathways altered in each congenic strain were not simply a subset of those altered in the consomic. Supporting the relevance of the mRNA data, differential expression of oxidative stress-related genes among the four strains of rats was associated with differences in urinary excretion of lipid peroxidation products. The findings suggest that different genetic alterations might converge to influence shared pathways in protection from hypertension, and that, depending on the genomic context, the same genetic alteration might diverge to affect different pathways.

Nephron deficit is not required for progressive proteinuria development in the Munich Wistar Frömter rat

The Munich Wistar Frömter (MWF) rat represents a genetic model with an inherited nephron deficit and exhibits mild hypertension and progressive albuminuria, which is more pronounced in males than females. Previously, we demonstrated in a consomic strain that replacement of a quantitative trait locus on chromosome 6 normalized the nephron deficit and suppressed albuminuria development, suggesting a link between the two findings. Here we tested the role of a second major locus linked to albuminuria in MWF on chromosome 8 and generated the consomic strain MWF-8SHR by transfer of chromosome 8 from spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) into MWF. The early onset of albuminuria at 8 wk of age in MWF (>50-fold increase compared with SHR) was significantly suppressed in consomic animals, and the development of marked proteinuria at 32 wk significantly diminished. Total nephron number in consomic rats (23,771 ± 1,352) and MWF (27,028 ± 1,322) were similar and significantly lower (−36%) compared with SHR (36,979 ± 1,352, P < 0.0001). The development of mild albuminuria in female MWF was also significantly diminished in MWF-8SHR. Thus, the development of overt and mild albuminuria in male and female MWF rats is not a mandatory consequence of the inherited nephron deficit. The locus on chromosome 8 appears of interest, because its exchange between MWF and SHR protects against the development of albuminuria in MWF-8SHR animals despite their inherited nephron deficit and higher systolic blood pressure.