Contemporary approaches to genetic influences on hypertension.
OBJECTIVE
Essential hypertension has long been considered to be primarily 'genetic,' though recent studies have only revealed minor contributions to blood pressure. Technology has advanced tremendously in the recent years, with much focus on DNA studies utilizing both candidate gene and genome-wide association studies. However, many new areas that need continued investigation have arisen.


RESULTS
In addition to DNA studies, genetic studies are actively pursuing previously unexplored areas of potential variation, such as that which occurs posttranscriptionally in RNA and posttranslationally in protein structure. Advances have also been made in animal models and systems biology for large-scale integrative approaches. However, many other areas need continued investigation in the genetics of hypertension, including improved phenotyping and trait definition, gene-by-gene interactions (epistasis), and gene-by-environment interactions. 'Next generation' sequencing will assist researchers in performing more extensive genetic studies even more quickly, especially on unusual (rare) genetic variants.


CONCLUSIONS
Hypertension appears to have many genetic contributions from each regulatory area ranging from DNA to RNA to protein to postprotein to interactive influences of the environment on genes. New technologies have enabled such research to advance in the recent years. However, for this complex trait of hypertension, continued efforts must progress in all of these areas as well as in increased modeling and sequencing, so that the knowledge may be united for a comprehensive understanding of this common disease, such that diagnosis and treatment options in hypertensive patients and those at risk are facilitated.
Department of Medicine, Institute for Genomic Medicine, University of California at San Diego, VA San Diego Healthcare System, La Jolla, California 92093-0838, USA. mafung@ucsd.edu
Maple M
MM
Fung
Kuixing
K
Zhang
Lian
L
Zhang
Fangwen
F
Rao
Daniel T
DT
O'Connor
D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D004843:Epistasis, Genetic; D018628:Gene Dosage; D008040:Genetic Linkage; D055106:Genome-Wide Association Study; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000235:genetics*; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000502:physiology; D010641:Phenotype; D040901:Proteomics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D049490:Systems Biology
D035683:MicroRNAs