Myoendothelial gap junctions: their composition and role in vasodilator responses attributed to EDHF

Funding Activity

Website
http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/224219

Funding Status
Closed

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Funded Activity Summary

Cardiovascular disease, including coronary heart disease and stroke, continues to be the major cause of death in Australia and hypertension is a significant risk factor. The endothelium, which lines blood vessels of all sizes, is critical to the control of blood flow to the organs of the body. Endothelial cells release factors which can cause blood vessels to constrict or to relax, thus decreasing or increasing blood flow, respectively. Under normal conditions, the endothelium is more important as a source of relaxing factors, while under hypertensive conditions, the balance is shifted in favour of the release of constricting factors. Thus, restoration of the vasodilatory function of the endothelium is seen as an important new therapeutic target in the treatment of vascular disorders. Present data suggests that the action of one of the major endothelial derived vasodilatory factors, the so-called endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor, EDHF, requires the presence of particular structures within the vascular wall, but little is known about the molecules of which they are comprised. We have identified two unique situations, during development and during hypertension, when these structures are present in vessels in which they are absent in normal adults. We will use gene microarrays to identify the specific molecules involved in these structures and use physiological studies to test the role of these proteins and structures in vasodilatory responses. The results of these studies may identify new targets for therapeutic intervention to restore the action of EDHF in hypertension.

Funded Activity Details

Start Date: 01-01-2003

End Date: 01-01-2005

Funding Scheme: NHMRC Project Grants

Funding Amount: $282,750.00

Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council

Research Topics

ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)

Nutrigenomics and personalised nutrition

ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)

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Other Keywords

ARTERY WALL | CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE AND HYPERTENSION | CARDIOVASCULAR PHARMACOLOGY | CONNEXIN GENE EXPRESSION | ELECTRON MICROSCOPY | ENDOTHELIAL DYSFUNCTION | ENDOTHELIUM-DEPENDENT RELAXATION | GAP JUNCTIONAL INTERCELLULAR COMMUNICATION | MICROARRAY/HYPERTENSION | VASCULAR REMODELING

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