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We previously identified a nonsense mutation in the stromal interaction molecule-1 (Stim1) resulting in expression of a truncated STIM1 in the stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHRSP). In this study, we evaluated activity of the store-operated Ca(2+)-entry (SOCE) regulated by STIM1 to clarify putative functional abnormalities of the truncated STIM1. As a result, reduced SOCE activity resulting in suppression of cyclooxygenase-2 expression induced by SOCE was found in cultured astrocytes with the truncated STIM1 when compared with those with the wild-type. Our results indicated that the truncated STIM1 impaired Ca(2+) signaling regulated by SOCE and that the impaired SOCE activity might be responsible for pathological phenotypes in SHRSP., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor and its receptor, trkB, are thought to play a crucial role for protection against neuronal death induced by brain ischemia, such as in stroke. In the present study we found a missense mutation in the trkB gene from all of the five substrains of stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP) that were examined. This mutation was not found in six out of seven hypertensive but stroke-resistant ancestral strains (SHR) of SHRSP, nor in any of seven strains of normotensive, non-stroke-prone strains. Hippocampal neurons, which are particularly vulnerable to damage in stroke, were shown to be more susceptible to ischemic damage in SHRSP than in either SHR or normotensive, stroke-resistant controls. The association of a mutated trkB gene with the stroke-prone genotype found in this study suggests that the trkB gene merits further study as a promising candidate gene for stroke.

To detect genetic loci responsible for stroke susceptibility, we produced 107 male F2 progenies crossed between stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP/Izm) and normotensive Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY/Izm) and followed them up until they developed cerebral stroke. One hundred and twenty-five simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were analyzed in these F2 rats. Nine of 107 F2 rats suffered from macroscopically overt stroke. In these 9 rats, the segregation ratio of 3 genotypes at 6 SSR marker loci on chromosomes 2, 4, 9, and 10 was highly distorted from the expected value (the observed sp/sp:sp/wky:wky/ wky ratio was either 6:3:0 or 6:2:1, while the expected was 1:2:1, p < 0.01 by chi 2 test). Further, the brain weight was significantly heavier (p < 0.001) in the F2 rats suffering from stroke, suggesting that the brain weight was a parameter for stroke. The brain weight of F2 rats cosegregated with D4Mit19, D4Mgh7, and D4Mgh8 (p = 0.0015, 0.0014, and 0.0040 by ANOVA, respectively) on chromosome 4 supporting genetic effects of this genetic loci on the pathogenesis of cerebral stroke. Blood pressure did not cosegregate with these markers on chromosome 4. These results suggest that a region on chromosome 4, independently of hypertension, determines genetic susceptibility to cerebral stroke.

We investigated the linkage between high blood pressure and the ACE gene in the F2 generation between SHRSP/Izm and WKY/Izm. The male F2 rats were categorized into 3 genotypes according to a microsatellite polymorphism in the ACE gene. Significantly high blood pressure was observed in the SHRSP homozygotes when it was compared to the blood pressure of the heterozygotes. Further, after 2 or 3 months salt-loading, the blood pressure was significantly higher in the SHRSP homozygotes than in the heterozygotes and the WKY homozygotes. The heterozygotes had a blood pressure similar to that in the WKY homozygotes, indicating that the effect of the ACE gene genotype was recessive. Salt appetite was neither correlated with the salt-sensitivity nor cosegregated with the ACE genotype. The results indicate that the locus of ACE gene associates with the development of hypertension, especially salt-sensitive hypertension.

The importance of Ca2+ and cAMP in the regulation of cellular functions has been well demonstrated. We studied the effect of angiotensin II (AII), a potent Ca2+-mobilizing hormone, on cAMP accumulation induced by isoproterenol (ISO) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) in cultured vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC). Although the addition of AII alone caused little increase of cAMP, it enhanced ISO- and VIP-induced cAMP accumulations in a dose-dependent manner. This enhancement was mimicked by tumor-promoting phorbol ester but not by Ca2+ ionophore. This observation suggested that AII enhanced agonist-induced cAMP accumulation through the activation of protein kinase C in VSMC.