RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article T1 High blood pressure associates with the remodelling of inward rectifier K+ channels in mice mesenteric vascular smooth muscle cells A1 Tajada Esteban, Sendoa A1 Cidad Velasco, María del Pilar A1 Moreno Domínguez, Alejandro A1 Pérez García, María Teresa A1 López López, José Ramón K1 Hypertension K1 Hipertensión K1 Vascular smooth muscle K1 Músculo liso vascular K1 32 Ciencias Médicas AB The increased vascular tone that defines essential hypertension is associated with depolarization of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and involves a change in the expression profile of ion channels promoting arterial contraction. As a major regulator of VSMC resting membrane potential (VM), K+channel activity is an important determinant of vascular tone and vessel diameter. However, hypertension-associated changes in the expression and/or modulation of K+channels are poorly defined, due to their large molecular diversity and their bed-specific pattern of expression. Moreover, the impact of these changes on the integrated vessel functionand their contribution to the development of altered vascular tone under physiological conditions need to be confirmed. Hypertensive (BPH) and normotensive (BPN) mice strains obtained by phenotypic selection were used to explore whether changes in the functional expression of VSMC inward rectifier K+channels contribute to the more depolarized resting VM and the increased vascular reactivity of hypertensive arteries. We determined the expression levels of inward rectifierK+channel mRNA in several vascular beds from BPN and BPH animals, and their functional contribution to VSMC excitability and vascular tone in mesenteric arteries. We found a decrease in the expression of Kir2.1, Kir4.1, Kir6.x and SUR2 mRNA in BPH VSMCs, and a decreased functional contribution of both KIRand KATP channels in isolated BPH VSMCs. However, only the effect of KATP channel modulators was impaired when exploring vascular tone, suggesting that decreased functional expression of KATP channels may be an important element in the remodelling of VSMCs in essential hypertension. PB The Physiological Society SN 1469-7793 YR 2012 FD 2012 LK http://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/44595 UL http://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/44595 LA eng NO The Journal of Physiology, 2012, vol. 590, n. 23. p. 6075-6091 NO Producción Científica DS UVaDOC RD 30-abr-2024